The Accursed Brothers
by Narutoenthusiast
Summary: Orochimaru decides to brand Naruto as well with the cursed seal. However, Kyuubi does not appreciate people interfering and uses its power to adapt the cursed seal so as to eliminate the snake's interference. In the end, Orochimaru's new decision ends up giving Naruto the means to become a legend. The best part is that he won't be doing things alone. Not Yaoi!
1. Prologue

**Author Note**

First of all, I know what you're all thinking.

Why post a new story, when I have now six others in progress with other two, waiting for a sequel (yes, people I plan to write the sequels of both Tired and Lone Wolf, though it will be a totally different time line from the actual cannon)?

The thing is I'm addicted. Not so much about the anime, but the world of fan fiction, better yet Naruto fan fiction. I've read stories that blew my mind more than the actual Shippuuden series.

With that thought aside, it's time for the new story called "The Accursed Brothers". Surely, the idea would sound repetitive at first. It begins at the Second phase of the Chunnin Exams when Naruto and Sasuke engage in battle against Orochimaru (I wouldn't say the team did, because as usual, Sakura was useless the entire time). The difference in my story is that instead of only Sasuke, Orochimaru branded Naruto also with the cursed seal. A different cursed seal (like Kimimaro's) but a cursed seal nonetheless. A few writers already used this idea, but mine will be quite different.

Just check it out!

Summary: What if, instead of only Sasuke, Naruto also received Orochimaru's cursed seal that day. Would the story be any different? Would Naruto and Sasuke's paths be reversed? Or they would find in each other the brotherly sentiment that both always missed.

Pairing: Not revealing it right now! Apart from the other stories, Naruto's pairing will only be revealed at a later date.

Now with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Branding the demon**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

At the beginning of the second phase of the chunnin exams, Team 7 was actually quite confident that they would pass the exam with no problem. Sasuke was considered a genius amongst the genins and he already awakened his Sharingan. Naruto was cocky in his own right, but he had his fair share of useful skills to be used in a crowded place like the Training Ground number 44, better known as The Forest of Death. Sakura, for the likes of her, couldn't stop trembling as she looked around the darkness that loomed over these parts, wondering if they would encounter some wild beast, like a gigantic tarantula or man eating tigers.

Not to mention meeting the actual opposition.

As only a support to her team, Sakura often relied on either Naruto or Sasuke to help her whenever she was in trouble. Sure, she was branded as a genius scholar with high grades and rumored to have skills in both chakra control and genjutsu techniques. But several factors ruined the girl's unstoppable potential, one of the reasons being herself, obviously. Ever since the academy, she fawned over her Uchiha teammate and it only got worse when she was selected as a member of Team Seven. Much to her sensei's irritation, instead of training to get stronger, Sakura ended up either fawning on Sasuke or asking said genin for a date. Of course, if Hatake Kakashi, the man known as the Sharingan no Kakashi, who copied more than one thousand techniques, easily disrupted the girl's fan girlish tendencies, by actually training his team, than the story would be different. However, due to certain occurrences in the past, all he ever thinks about is building them into a team that never should have got together in the first place.

Now, though, they would spend five days inside this god forsaken forest, facing wild beasts and shinobi from other lands, both of them with full intent to kill Team Seven, in order to get the scroll they possessed.

Her heart even skipped a beat when the team encountered another team from Amegakure. It didn't take too long seeing as Sasuke launched a fireball technique at the three without warning, catching one of them easily. The other two were dealt with by Naruto's kage bunshins. None of the three were killed, except that the one that received the fire technique was unconscious with third degree burns all over his body. Naruto screamed to the heavens at his team's awesomeness, before searching for the team's scroll. Sasuke and Sakura were actually anxious to see if this team had the earth scroll, meaning they only needed to go to the tower and be done with the exam.

"Ahhh I found it, dattebayo! Eh, shit is the heaven scroll…" The blond screamed at the top of his lungs, before the team vanished once more.

The first fight served a purpose, though.

They now were more confident than before and in no time, they would battle a team with the Earth Scroll. However, such confidence was shattered when they landed on top a thick tree only for a strong blast of wind to send them flying, Naruto to one direction and Sasuke/Sakura to another. When Naruto landed, he caressed his bottom a few times in order to stop the pain, before looking around for his teammates. The only things before his eyes were gigantic trees, before a gigantic snake appeared out of nowhere. The blond screamed frightened, before his determined resolve was in control. However, he only had time to grab one kunai from his holder, before the snake lunged at him and opened its jaws, swallowing him whole.

* * *

**===With Sasuke===**

As soon as Sasuke landed on the ground, he began to look for his teammates. Sakura appeared first, before she gave the password that Sasuke invented in case they split up. After being assured that Sakura was indeed Sakura, he began to look for Naruto, while wondering about that fuuton technique. That wind blast was much too powerful to be used by a mere genin. After looking around for a bit, Naruto's voice alerted them to his position before they saw Naruto resting his right hand on a tree while the other he used to hold his apparently injured stomach.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" Naruto asked, before Sasuke raised the kunai in a threatening manner.

"The password, what's the password? When a ninja is supposed to strike?" The blond looked at his teammate in question, before he showed an ear to ear grin.

"Ah yes, I know that…ah…It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time is when the enemy is tired and his guard is down" As soon as Naruto finished the password, Sakura took a long breath in relief. Sasuke for his part smiled, before suddenly throwing the kunai straight at Naruto's face. So surprised he was that the blond threw himself to the ground in order to dodge the kunai. Both him and Sakura demanded questions for his actions, but Sasuke remained with the arrogant smirk on his face.

"Don't play ignorant with me. Our Naruto, the real Naruto, would never memorize such a long password. I admit that you're better at the Henge and even skilled to dodge the kunai from such a close distance, but still you failed in mirroring Naruto's mannerisms"

No sooner that Sasuke explained his actions, Naruto, or rather someone transformed as him, started laughing like a hyena, before licking his lips as if he was staring at a most tasty dish. The fake Naruto got up and immediately dispelled the illusion, before a great torrent of smoke filled the area, revealing the enemy. It was a woman by the looks of things, carrying the insignia from Kusagakure. She was rather tall to be just a genin. Her black hair was long and every time she looked at Sasuke, she would lick her lips in anticipation. It was if Sasuke was the meal of the day.

Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke didn't wait for the attack and charged the woman in taijutsu. He started with a series of punches and kicks, but no one got across her fluid defensive maneuvers. The Kusa genin even smiled, before grabbing Sasuke's arms and throwing him against a tree. The Uchiha back flipped, using the tree as leverage for chagrining her once again. This time he grabbed a kunai and attacked his opponent. It was useless, however, as she was clearly toying with him the entire time. Sasuke had enough of this fight, before he gained some distance and initiated the hand seals sequence.

_**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu **__(Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)_

The blazing inferno charged at the Kusa genin, who for her part only smiled as the technique approached its intended target. She made no effort to move out of the way, giving Sasuke the idea that he had defeated his opponent. However, as soon as the smoke settled, the enemy just stood behind a tree still carrying the wicked smile on her face. Sasuke, by this time, was getting nervous and charged. This time, the Kusa genin just took the fight to higher grounds, while Sasuke was in hot pursuit. He eventually reached her, but he hadn't managed to land even one blow. The woman tried aiming a straight kick to his chest, which sent him flying a couple trees away. He managed to use chakra to stand on the tree, before he ran to a clear path, where he grabbed a couple of mid-sized shuriken, laced with invisible wire.

He didn't throw the shurikens directly at his opponent, but around her.

At first, the woman thought that Sasuke's aim needed improvement and she even taunted him in said manner, only for a smirk to appear on his face as he pulled the invisible wire of the shurikens, turning their trajectory, surprising the Ame genin. The invisible wire ended up tying her to a thick tree and she found out she couldn't move. The wire constricted her movements. Sasuke, afterward, gathered all the wire and hold them in place with his mouth, before going through a long series of hand seals for his strongest fire technique ever attempted on the battlefield.

_**Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu**__ (Fire Release: Flame Dragon Technique)_

Sasuke started burning, before he directed the gathering fire through the wires that were holding his enemy. Upon impact, she screamed as the pain from the attack was too much for even her to handle.

The technique even went on the other side of the tree, like it was an unstoppable force. After that, Sasuke breathed in relief. He had never faced this type of enemy before. No matter what he did, she was always one or two steps ahead of him. Images of his uselessness against his brother the night of his clan genocide flashed through his eyes. However, to his shock and utter fear, the woman appeared in front of him like she wasn't even fazed by his strongest technique, just as Sakura appeared next to him. They could see however, that her face appeared to be melting.

"Kukuku, good Sasuke-kun. Very good, you are indeed very talented for someone your age. Now, why don't you say we increase the level of our fight" Was the next thing they heard, before both Sasuke and Sakura were bombarded with images of their death.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

The snake was having its fun digesting Naruto, while the blond was busy screaming some obscenities that would make even Anko proud. However, even he was smart enough to realize that he didn't have much time left. His body was already covered with enough gastric juice that his clothes were being digested by the minute. Pretty soon his skin would as well, unless he did something. It was such a grotesque sight inside the snake's stomach. He couldn't see much, but he could see the rests of the snake's quite peculiar diet. He saw enough to realize that he wasn't the first human to be in there.

No matter how much he thought, though, he couldn't figure out how to escape, until an idea hit him.

It was more like a desperate move, than anything. Any movement was being restricted by the snake's organs, but he managed enough strength to at least join his hands to form his most familiar hand seal. _It's all or nothing. Take this you damn snake…_

_**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**__ (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)_

One by one, Naruto used his technique without concern of saving chakra. In no time, the snake's stomach ended up inflating like a balloon, before the deadly creature was ripped apart. Naruto, still covered with gastric acid, coughed multiple times, while imagining the consequences of not escaping. The thought of death wasn't alien to him. When his team faced the Demon Brothers, Naruto was frightened. At the time, he froze and if it wasn't for Sasuke's help, he doubted that he would still be amongst the living. Now, that old feeling returned. Ok, it shouldn't be a routine situation. It's not every day that you become snake's food, but as a shinobi, he needed to be prepared to face odds such as this.

Shaking his head in denial, Naruto started looking around for either Sasuke or Sakura. He began looking around the vicinity, before Sakura's scream reached his ear.

"Sakura-chan is in trouble, I must go immediately"

* * *

**===With Sasuke and Sakura===**

After Orochimaru used that strange technique, he just settled for two kunais and threw them at the still frightened genins. Sasuke saw the kunais, but could do nothing. He, then, grabbed a kunai of his own and pierced his own thigh, in order to somehow wake him up from the trance Orochimaru placed them in. Quickly, he grabbed Sakura, saving her from the kunai. Still, Orochimaru pressed on his taunting attack, forcing Sasuke on the defensive. The raven haired genin was beginning to cower in fear upon seeing a snake appear behind him. Sasuke screamed at his opponent, more like begging him to leave him alone, before throwing various shurikens at the snake, killing it. However, once more Orochimaru appeared from within the snake, licking his lips while doing so.

"You can't let your guard down Sasuke-kun. A prey needs to strain their minds all the time and run around in the presence of the predator" Orochimaru said, before extending his body like a snake and charging at Sasuke.

However, before he could reach the already cowering Sasuke, a few kunais and shurikens appeared in front of him, stopping his path just as Naruto shouted.

"Oi, sorry I was late Sasuke. I had to deal with something on the way here"

Naruto shouted as Orochimaru looked at the blond, wondering what happened to the snake he sent to deal with the annoying brat. Still, Naruto's presence did little to alleviate Sasuke's feeling of insecurity. So far, every time Naruto appeared, he ended up screwing things up. Thing was that right now, Kakashi wasn't here to fix the dobe's mistakes. He was at a loss of what to do, before a cowering idea appeared inside his mind. It was beneath his pride as an Uchiha to even think in such a thing, but this foe, whoever he or she was, is way above their level and could easily kill them.

"Wait a minute…" Sasuke called, before reaching for the scroll inside his holster. "In exchange for letting us go, we surrender our scroll to you. There, take it…" Sasuke said, much to Sakura and Naruto's shock and confusion.

Orochimaru just smirked at the brat's cleverness.

"Smart kid…in order to save yourself, you give the predator something more precious in return. However, it seems that the Uchiha Clan's pride is non-existent if the heir acts all cowardly like this" The obvious jab was meaningless when compared to Sasuke's survival at this point.

"Just take it and leave…" He threw the scroll towards Orochimaru who smirked as he watched the artifact approaching his position slowly. When the snake was about to get it, though, the scroll suddenly vanished as Naruto appeared on the tree next to them holding the scroll. Sasuke was beyond pissed at the blond for his stupidity, as he shouted for the blond to give the scroll to the enemy immediately. Naruto took a moment to look at Sasuke like he grew a second head and sneered at his cowardice. This wasn't the Sasuke he knew and the one that was a part of team 7.

"Oi teme, are you crazy? Giving up the scroll would be like saying we didn't pass, dammit! I want to pass and I know you want to as well…" Naruto knew that talking would be ineffective, thus he needed to get his point across. However, the fact that Sasuke so easily gave up, made his blood boil. This wasn't the Sasuke he knew, nor the one he kept challenging all the time. He was just a scared little rabbit. Gathering as much strength as he could muster, Naruto landed a fierce punch on Sasuke's face, sending him flying. No one could see his eyes at the time of the hit.

"What's the matter with you dammit? Quit trying to become the hero!" Shouted Sasuke, before something inside of him urged him to stop breathing.

This feeling of dread, it was similar to the time he faced Zabuza. He looked at Naruto, only to gasp as the blond's eyes was changed. They were red silted eyes that promised anything but death.

"You're definitely now the Sasuke I know. You're just some scared cat trying to save its own ass. I'm dealing with this enemy and we are going to pass this exam!" Naruto said, before he grabbed a kunai and charged the still smirking enemy. Orochimaru just summoned one of his snakes one more time and ordered it to pound Naruto. The problem, though, was that now Naruto was, even if unconsciously, using the fox's chakra, alerting Orochimaru instantly. He saw Naruto punching the snake hard and he felt instantly the same feeling from twelve years ago when the very Kyuubi no Yoko appeared in Konoha.

_So, this is the Kyuubi brat…such remarkable power…maybe branding him as well isn't such a bad idea. He could prove useful in the future._

Just as Naruto managed to break the snake's jaw, he saw the snake disappearing and licked his lips once more. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura were wondering when Naruto had ever shown such power. Naruto, then, charged the snake sannin in disguise, only for the man's tongue to envelope Naruto's body. The blond tried fighting with all his might to free himself from Orochimaru's grasp. However, the man had enough chakra focused on his tongue to hold Naruto at bay, even if he was subconsciously using the fox's chakra. Such strength only managed to further Orochimaru's interest in using Naruto against the very village that raised him.

Without further a due, he lowered Naruto's body until the blond was in front of him. Orochimaru sunk his teeth in Naruto's neck with much strength that the blond screamed in agony.

The poison instantly ran through his veins and before Naruto knew, he was unconscious as a strange looking seal appeared behind his neck. _Naruto-kun's strength will be better channeled by the same seal that Kimimaro-kun has. Now, for Sasuke's, I'll give him the same one I gave little Anko. This is more refined, increasing more his chakra than his strength. It will be perfect for his techniques in the future. Now, let's brand Sasuke. _As soon as he turned towards the still stunned Sasuke, he threw Naruto towards the ground hard. Sasuke tried moving, but Orochimaru still had his genjutsu activated, meaning Sasuke couldn't move. Sakura even tried to help by throwing a kunai, but Orochimaru just used two fingers to stop as he extended his neck towards the Uchiha, before biting him as well. Sasuke screamed in agony, as the poison ran through his veins as the cursed seal appeared behind his neck as well. Orochimaru started laughing silently as he pondered on how much his odds improved.

_Sasuke-kun's strength and mastery of the Sharingan is terrific. He'll prove to be a better host than anyone, plus I finally will take possession of the Sharingan. Furthermore, I can use the fox's chakra in Naruto. No one will stop me from my goal. _

"You monster, who are you and what did you do to Sasuke and Naruto?" Sakura had tears in her eyes and she was trembling, which further increased Orochimaru's mood as he laughed at Sakura.

"My name is Orochimaru and I only gave the two of them a nice little present. In time, both of them will seek me for power and I'll be waiting. Till we meet again, ku ku ku" While laughing, Orochimaru sunk below the tree, using a doton evasion technique, leaving poor little Sakura to help both her teammates.

* * *

**Author Note**

There! A small prologue. I don't recall much of the fight between Orochimaru and Sasuke, but that's irrelevant. Also, it wasn't my intention to fully copy Kishimoto's work regarding the fight description.

What is relevant is the cursed seal that was placed on both Naruto and Sasuke. So, Naruto is now branded with a different Cursed Seal, the same one that Kimimaro possesses. What will be the ramifications of this change?

Please tell me what you think and for those that didn't appreciate me adding another story, well I can't do anything about it. When an interesting idea presents itself, it's tough not to exploit it.

I trust that some of you will understand.

See you all next chapter.


	2. Tainted power

**Author Note**

Hello everyone and welcome to the second chapter of the Accursed Brothers.

I was relieved to see that, from those who took their time and reviewed the first chapter, very few expressed their discontentment with me for writing yet another story, when I still have quite a few to focus on. I like to appreciate all those who enjoyed the idea as much as the concept of a cursed seal induced Naruto and the possible ramifications. Indeed, the theory behind the earth cursed seal will be an increase in strength more than chakra itself like the Heaven Cursed Seal. That being said, Sasuke will be the ninjutsu and genjutsu specialist, while Naruto will be more versed in taijutsu. I'm not saying that he won't be using ninjutsu, just that he'll prioritize his speed and strength while fighting.

I'm still debating whether or not to give him a weapon and before any of you ask, his ninjutsu element is wind. However, contrary to my other stories, it will **ONLY** be wind.

Regarding the pairing, it will be a surprise for now. I think I've seen one review asking me to consider a pairing with the Godaime Mizukage Mei Terumi. I don't have anything against the woman. I like her personality quirks and her death kiss is very hot. However, for this story, I wanted to focus everything around the cursed seal (a little hint, regarding the pairing). I don't want to tell yet, because it won't be relevant at the beginning. First of all, it's the chunnin exams issue as well as Sasuke's friendship rivalry with Naruto. Only after this specific arc, I'll consider about showing to whom he will be paired with. Now, here goes the second chapter, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Tainted power**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

Barely one day has passed since Team Seven's most frightening experience so far and the only conscious member of the team had to take care of the other two for the time being. Haruno Sakura took both Sasuke and Naruto to a small hideout below the roots of a tree nearby. Whatever that monster Orochimaru did, Sasuke and Naruto became incredibly sick afterwards. Both of their foreheads were burning up, indicating a fever, the likes of which she'd only read about in books and it frightened her greatly. Here she was alone in the middle of a forest filled with man eating creatures. What would happen if she had to defend herself against a gigantic carnivore, say for instance, a bear or a tiger, or even something hideous like a tarantula? Just the thought of seeing a man sized spider with hairy legs approaching her was frightening enough.

Not to mention the fact that until one of them woke up, her team was vulnerable against other attacks.

Suddenly, she heard the distinguishing glow of flesh being burned and flinched upon hearing Sasuke's moan of pain, while unconscious. Upon close inspection, she could see the damn seal imprinted on his neck glowing. She touched his forehead and was shocked to feel that it was hotter than before. Picking up another wet towel from a bucket next to her, she replaced the old one, before sighing in dismay for probably the tenth time today. The amount of killing intent shown by Orochimaru shocked her to her very core and after the fight; she was exhausted, even though she barely moved at all. In spite of that, she couldn't just close her eyes and fall asleep. In doing that, she'd be just proving how useless she's been to the team so far. Taking care of their health as much as possible was the only thing she could do, while praying that their position wasn't found by either the enemy or by the peculiar wildlife of this forest. Looking at her other partner, she wondered why the blond wasn't feeling the same pain as Sasuke, seeing as his seal was glowing as well. The different designs between seals intrigued her. Being a scholar, Sakura had knowledge above her skills, but fuuinjutsu wasn't covered at the academy.

* * *

**===Inside Naruto's mind===**

When Naruto opened his eyes, frightened, he didn't expect to be where he was now. He remembered losing his consciousness at the Forest of Death when that damn snake pedophile bit him on his neck. He expected to wake up and see trees and hear the noise of nature, but instead he appeared in some kind of sewer and all he could hear was the echo of water drops falling. He walked around the narrow corridors, while looking at the red pipes that seemed to fill the walls. The interval between water drops gave him a very spooky imagination and he could feel a strange sense of animosity in this place, strange as that may sound, since it appeared that he was alone.

_**Naruto…**_

The whispered voice, calling him, frightened the blond tremendously. He looked around, but couldn't see anything, apart from water and narrow corridors. Still, for some unfathomable reason, his legs moved on their own towards one of the corridors. He wondered why this was happening; why he was here and where here was, for that manner. He couldn't understand a thing as his legs took him throughout the narrow corridors. The whisper intensified, still calling his name as he could now feel malice, like he never felt before. Not even that Orochimaru guy could produce such a feeling and Naruto, until now, figured that Orochimaru was the most powerful enemy he would face. The voice now changed its speech and it scared the blond even more.

_**Naruto…so you came to see me at last.**_

_**Come…come and meet your doom…follow the path of blood…**_

As soon as he heard it, Naruto looked down and realized that instead of water, the path in front of him had a red color. He wouldn't dare assume that he was walking in a pool of blood. This experience, so far, has been freaky enough without that. The blond walked, probably five more minutes, before he entered what probably was the last corridor as the path in front of him ended in some gigantic room and he could see a black void at the end of the room, behind what appeared to be a gigantic prison. The man who constructed this hell of a place must be nuts, Naruto reasoned as he stepped inside the room. As soon as he entered inside the spacious room, Naruto was surprised to see that he gained control over his legs once more. The area was filled with animosity as he walked towards the seemingly empty cage in front of him. He wondered why such a large cage was made and who was it made for. The boy sure lacked in the brain department, but even he could tell that this cage wasn't meant for a human being or any animal he knew. He suddenly lost his breath once two red slitted eyes appeared from out of nowhere, looking down at him. The eyes were easily a great distance from the floor and the blond did the same thing everyone would do upon realizing that a gigantic beast was face to face with him.

He started trembling in fear.

When the teeth showed as well as the following killing intent, Naruto just wasn't able to breathe properly. The creature, in front of him, seemed to enjoy itself upon feeling fear and despair in front of him after so long trapped inside this body. The creature took a step further so as to show to its host, the full appearance of the monster that he kept jailed all these years, only knowing about it recently, because of a bloody chunnin. As soon as the fox's full image appeared in front of Naruto, he gasped while trying to speak its name. He knew the image of the fox, thanks to the academy books. The oppressing figure caused the blond to fall on his butt as he couldn't believe that the almighty Kyuubi no Yoko was in front of him. He remembered the bastard Mizuki saying that he was a Jinchuuriki, thus the jailor of the Kyuubi. Suddenly, he didn't feel so good.

"**So…it seems my jailor has come to meet me at last" **Naruto recognized underestimation when he saw one and, despite being a demon, the strongest of the tailed beasts, something within Naruto always took action once he felt he was being looked down upon. With a new resolve, he got up from the pool of blood and looked at the fox's eyes for the first time since entering the room. The fox noticed with quite amusement, how its jailor was attempting to show a courageous side. **"It seems that, once more, you are in need of my help. You should have bowed at the presence of the almighty Kyuubi no Yoko" **

Because of the pressure inside this strange chamber, when Naruto spoke, it came out weak. However, he cleared his throat a bit and addressed the fox as if he could talk to a demon like he would to a human being.

"Hey you damn fox, who are you to demand me to do stuff, huh? I don't know how the hell I got in here, but Kami knows that if I could choose, I'd prefer never to see your face…" As soon as he realized just whom he was addressing to, he regretted his words. The fox's eyes narrowed at the blond and Naruto felt as if the creature would eat him alive. The fox, for its part, never once saw such blatant disrespect coming from a pathetic midget. He'd kill the foe for much less than what Naruto said. Still, the fact that the blond was here took precedence over throwing insults against each other. Despite everything, though, the fox was experiencing a new sense of amusement, at this kid's courage to face the fox. Surely, the fox met tons of men that didn't have his bravery.

"**You should watch your mouth in my presence, you brat. If it wasn't for this cage, you'd be eaten. Now, I believe it's high time we discussed what that cursed snake branded you with." **The memory of Naruto being beaten came full force as the symbol of the cursed seal appeared on the wall near the cage. Surely it was amplified, because the real seal wouldn't take an entire wall. It started glowing red all of a sudden and the blond felt a strong pain running through his system. **"Indeed, that snake placed this seal on us, with the sole purpose of using us in the future. It's a master piece, the likes of which was used to seal me inside you pathetic child."**

"What can we do? Can we take it off, destroy it or something, it's really hurting me"

"**Only an imbecile wouldn't accept the power that radiates from this seal. In normal occasions, I would simply get rid of it, by focusing a drop of my energy. From what I can see, it has some sort of attachment to the caster. Instead of destroying it, I'll bend it so that you can use it without the repercussions. You can thank me later, brat" **Immediately afterwards, the fox's aura appeared from beneath the creature and, slowly but surely, reached the seal. Upon contact, Naruto had to close his eyes not to be blinded by the sudden light that engulfed the chamber. When the light dimmed down, Naruto looked back at the seal, only to see that instead of the black ink, the seal was red.

As Naruto observed the seal, Kyuubi explained the changes made by him. Naruto was now able to activate the seal without worrying about the repercussions such as rage or losing control to Orochimaru's will. The genin didn't have time to question the fox as he was expelled from the confines of his mind to the outside world. As soon as he opened his eyes, a red aura engulfed him, shocking the audience at feeling, once more, the same level of power radiating from another person. Even the other influenced by the cursed seal was surprised, upon seeing Naruto. While Naruto was talking to the fox, a team from Otogakure chose this moment of weakness to attack Team Seven and, thus, Sakura had to step up and defend her team. Of course, she didn't have a chance against three high level genins and was captured easily. It was only due to the sudden appearance of a year older genin called Rock Lee that Sakura's chances of survival improved. However, due to a sound attack, Rock Lee was incapacitated. However, when this happened, his teammates Neji and Tenten arrived to assist and even Team ten arrived as well. They were about to engage the enemy in Sakura's assistance when Uchiha Sasuke awakened, surrounded by a malevolent purple aura. His skin was covered with black markings and he had an evil smile on his face. His presence alone frightened two of the Oto genins. The other named Zaku tried to act bravely, before Sasuke appeared behind him and broke his arms, still maintaining that devilish smirk on his face.

Sakura couldn't stand anymore of this new Sasuke and moved to hug him, begging him to stop.

However, she froze when she felt the same energy that radiated from Sasuke coming from another location. Upon turning, she saw her other teammate getting up. Naruto, upon registering what was happening in front of him, wondered what was happening. He saw ninjas from Konoha and a team that carried a different insignia. He saw that Sakura was badly injured and immediately was on edge. He saw Sasuke as well and he was filled with strange marking on his face. Of course, he couldn't see that his face was covered with marking as well, red ones, courtesy of the cursed seal of Earth altered by the Kyuubi. His mind concluded that he was to deal with the Otogakure genins first. He turned to the closest one, the one with bandages on his head and vanished. He appeared in front of the shocked man and landed a strong fist on his face, which sent him flying. Everyone, including Sasuke, was shocked at the speed, although the Uchiha was perhaps the only one who was able to follow it.

Suddenly a smirk appeared on his face as he attacked the one with the broken arm. Zaku couldn't do anything and received a similar blow on his face. He was unconscious soon afterwards, leaving only the woman of the team awake to deal with the cursed dual. Kin realized that the odds of her receiving the same treatment were pretty high, thus she gave her team's earth scroll to Sakura and escaped. Sasuke moved to stop her, but Naruto appeared in front of him, stopping his movements. Naruto now knew what Kyuubi was saying to him. Contrary to his sense of calm, Sasuke's face was pure evil.

"We don't need to attack her Sasuke. We have the scroll we need to pass."

The shocked audience just watched as the energy surrounding Naruto and Sasuke vanished. The male members of team seven just observed one another for some time. Sasuke now remembered that Naruto was bitten by Orochimaru as well and smirked at the blond. For quite some time, all he wanted was to find someone worthy to prove his skills against. Naruto, despite being the class loser, slowly became stronger and now both shared something that would only make him stronger in the future. Naruto would be the one he would defeat, before aiming for his brother. Perhaps, Naruto could be the one he needed to awaken the next step of the Sharingan.

"I can see that you possess great power in you Naruto…from now on, you'll be my rival for power. I'll test myself against you, so you better be prepared." With the animosity gone, the people around them relaxed. Ino offered to fix Sakura's hair, while Chouji and Shikamaru began the conversation. Sasuke and Naruto created some distance between each other. Neji, Lee and Tenten already left towards the tower, since their presence was no longer required. Twenty minutes later, both Teams went towards the tower together, since both of them had the two scrolls collected.

_**(AN: I know that Team 7 had to collect another scroll, because in canon, Orochimaru swallowed theirs. But remember that in chapter 1, Naruto retrieved the scroll. Orochimaru didn't take it)**_

The trip towards the tower resumed without a single word spoken from Team Seven. Naruto was strangely quiet all of a sudden, while Sakura looked at her two teammates, wondering what happened to them. She remembered that, like Sasuke, Naruto was bitten as well and it worried her greatly. What would happen to them now? She remembered what Orochimaru said to her after biting her teammates.

_**Flashback on**_

"My name is Orochimaru and I only gave the two of them a nice little present. In time, both of them will seek me for power and I'll be waiting. Till we meet again, ku ku ku"

_**Flashback off**_

She didn't know what to do, nor did she know if she was supposed to do anything. She loved Sasuke more than life itself and Naruto was her teammate as well. But what if she told Kakashi-sensei about it? He would know what do about this situation. But what if Sasuke resented her for such a thing? Sakura couldn't afford to bear Sasuke's resentment, but it would be worse if he ever abandoned the village and went to Orochimaru for nothing more than power. Naruto was also an issue. Would he go as well? The words of a sannin couldn't be underestimated, especially not Konoha's number one criminal. She needed to tell at least Kakashi-sensei about it.

Eventually, the two teams reached the insides of the tower. Both teams were lost on what to do, before Shikamaru came up with the idea of opening both scrolls. The teams complied and opened them, before throwing the scrolls a few meters. Suddenly, two pillars of smoke appeared from within the scroll, revealing Iruka from Team Seven's scroll and the same chunnin that blocked the door at the beginning of the exams called Izumo. Seeing as both of them were summoned at the same time, they decided to rotate for the explanation. Iruka was first.

"Congratulations to all of you. You passed the second stage of the chunnin exams. I'm glad that you chose not to open the scrolls before entering the tower. That means you understood the concept behind this exam."

"Iruka-sensei, what would happen if we opened before?" Naruto's question was instead answered by Izumo.

"The concept behind this exercise is to prove the ninja's resolve. Sometimes, you'll receive a very important document with the order to deliver it to another country, even to another village. Usually, said document is very important, although a ninja is not supposed to read it. However, you'll have to protect it from the village's enemies, still, without even knowing what information was written in it. If you were to open, beforehand, it will be presumed that the mission was failed. Thus, if anyone opened the scroll before, would be rendered unconscious by one of the chunnin proctors. Because of the amount of responsibility, some genins decided to fall into temptation and opened the scroll to see what was in it."

The explanation was rather long, but Naruto understood. Iruka explained afterwards.

"Now, for those who passed, I'm required to explain the meaning behind the Heaven and Earth scrolls. If you look at the plaque behind me, it contains a very important message for all of you."

* * *

_If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared._

_If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength._

_If you have both, dangerous paths will turn into safe ones._

_This is the secret of a chunnin._

_It shall lead you on your way._

* * *

The looks on the genins' faces were priceless. Naruto's was by far the funniest as he was having trouble even understanding some of the words that came out of Iruka's mouth.

"Seeing the confused looks on your faces, I'll explain. This is the principal Hokage-sama wrote that you all should keep in mind as a chunnin. You must substitute the words 'heaven' and 'earth' for 'knowledge' and 'strength'. For example, if Naruto's weak point is his brain, then he should study and prepare for missions." At this, Iruka heard Naruto mumble something while Sakura laughed at him despite everything, but Iruka ignored and continued the explanation. "Also, if Sakura and Ino's weak point is strength, then both should train themselves every day. Thus, if you possess both heaven and earth or knowledge and strength, then any dangerous missions will become safe. It can even become easy, depending on the mission. Now, seeing as there is still time for the exams, we'll guide you to a place where you can take a rest. Please follow us."

The two teams smirked at the explanation, before they followed the two chunnins towards their accommodations.

They had at least three more days to rest, before the exams were over. Sakura chose to take a long shower, while Naruto went to eat something. Sasuke went on his way to god knows where. Team 10 decided to just rest and save their energy for what will happen next. Now alone, while asking for some ramen, Naruto pondered on the cursed seal and what Kyuubi said to him. This power was tainted, he knew that. Despite it all, Kyuubi made it so that he didn't suffer the consequences of its usage. However, while his problem was solved, Sasuke's wasn't. He remembered Sasuke's face with the cursed seal active and he wondered what would have happened if he wasn't there to stop the Uchiha.

* * *

**===Three days later===**

Inside a rather spacious room located within the confines of the tower, two people were located as they were discussing the last events that shocked the hidden village in the leaves.

The sannin Orochimaru managed to infiltrate the Chunnin Exams and he was after something or rather someone. Mitarashi Anko, the woman with purple hair and a green trench coat, was busy massaging the right side of her neck where the same cursed seal of Heaven was visible. After dealing with Sasuke and Naruto, Orochimaru engaged in a fight with her. However, because of his influence over her cursed seal, she couldn't focus her chakra properly. As a result, she was defenseless against the man, who instead of killing her let her live so that she could give a message to the Hokage. In case he decided to stop the chunnin exams, Orochimaru would bring his ire over the village and kill everyone. The second person, the Sandaime Hokage looked at Anko with concern as he smoked his pipe.

"How are you feeling? Does the cursed seal still hurt?" The woman nodded, despite the pain.

"No, it's gotten better thanks to you Hokage-sama…"

"So, you're telling me about Orochimaru and what he desired upon infiltrating the chunnin exams…" The Hokage said, before Anko snarled at the memory. It was already night time and she had her back against the tree as her cursed seal was hurting her. Orochimaru just smirked as he approached Anko's position. He kneeled in front of her and waited for her angered eyes to look at him. Above all things, he enjoyed seeing such fiery resolve coming from his first apprentice. It still eluded the man how much hatred she had for him and why the cursed seal wasn't capitalizing upon it. Still, It was all the better, he supposed. He shocked her upon caressing her cheek in an affectionate way, as if all the past could be erased.

'There is a boy I want, or rather two. One carries the abilities of an Uchiha and the other possesses an infinite amount of chakra, which is not human.'

"The first one is no doubt Uchiha Sasuke. It's my fair belief that the second child he desires is Uzumaki Naruto. " The news shocked the Sandaime. He knew that Orochimaru fantasized about the Sharingan even before he escaped from the village. However, an attempt on Naruto, rather the Kyuubi inside of him was absurd. The Sandaime Hokage was about to speak when a radio like voice started speaking to Anko. It was a chunnin and from what he said, the chunnin exams were over with twenty one genins passing. With the numbers, a preliminary match would have to occur in order to reduce the participants. According to the chunnin, the last time there was a need for preliminaries was five years ago.

"Anyway, we will continue the exam…afterwards; we will discuss the possible motives behind Orochimaru's desire." Anko nodded at the order and got up from her seat towards the exit.

Minutes later, all of the genins that passed the second phase were lined up inside what appeared to be a dojo inside the tower. The room was rather spacious with two arms at the back, holding the ram seal. It was pretty weird in Naruto's opinion, but he kept this thought inside his mind for the time being. Looking around for a bit, he noticed that besides his and Team 10, Team 8 has passed as well. He was surprised that the Otogakure team was there as well. He remembered stopping Sasuke from killing them two days ago and wondered how they were able to collect the two scrolls needed to pass the forest of death.

"For those who passed, congratulations!" Anko's voice echoed throughout the clearing as she was using a microphone attached to her ear. Her eyes passed throughout the chunnin hopefuls for a second, before looking at both Sasuke and Naruto for a bit longer. The idea of Orochimaru wanting the Kyuubi in Naruto sent chills up her spine. She didn't have anything against the kid, but tempering with the strongest bijuu in existence would obviously lead to terrible consequences. She wondered what the Hokage was going to do with the newly accursed genins. She noticed with a level of sympathy at Sasuke, since the boy was doing the same thing she did on occasions, rubbing the back of his neck to stop the pain from the cursed seal. She snarled at her former sensei for giving his damned cursed seal to the Uchiha and wondered what his intentions were.

"Now, everyone shut up…Hokage-sama will speak…" The old Sandaime Hokage cleared his throat.

"I'd like to congratulate everyone here for passing the second stage of the chunnin exams. Also, I'd like to explain the reason behind the chunnin exams." Allowing little time for the genins to digest what was to come, the Hokage continued. "Due to the repercussions caused by the Shinobi Great Wars, the chunnin exams were created for each village to show its strength without resorting to wars. The chunnin exams are a simulation of war between villages. With said event, each nation can show its strength to an audience, composed of nobles and possible clients all over the elemental nations, without fear of the repercussions of war, promoting, thus, good relations between the villages. The third part of the exam will be composed with one on one fights."

The explanation wasn't an easy feat and as usual, the genins had doubts as to the necessity of said way of thinking. Of course, it's related to the ninja's profession and history between nations.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but what do you mean good relations between the villages" It was Tenten who asked.

"By placing genins from different villages against one another in a tournament, the audience, filled with possible clients, can choose which nation to hire for a mission. As such, no nation will be favored in detriment of the other, thus promoting good relations between villages." When he saw that no one would ask any questions, he turned to explain more into the third part of the exam, when a person materialized in front of him, wearing a jounin uniform and a bandana. The man had bangs below his eyes and his face indicated some kind of terrible sickness. His chronic coughing gave away his situation, as he addressed the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, allow me to take it from here?" Asked Hayate as the Hokage nodded. He, then, turned to the genins, before coughing some more. "Before we move to the third phase of the chunnin exams, we must diminish the number of candidates. As Hokage-sama explained, the main event, which will happen in a month time, will have the presence of high dignitaries and nobility. Thus, if all of you were to participate, it would take too long. Therefore, right now, we'll have a preliminary match to cut at least half of the current number." Like he expected, the genins protested this situation. It was Kiba who voiced it to the jounin, though.

"Are you kidding me? We all just escaped from hell out there for five days. We are all exhausted…"

"The shinobi world is unfair, I'm afraid. The last time the need for preliminaries arose was five years ago. Now, I'll offer this opportunity for those who don't want to or are incapable of fighting to leave. Please raise your hands…"

At first, no one raised it. They were busy looking at each other to see who would abandon the exam. Suddenly, an arm was raised and it belonged to a rather tall genin with silver hair and glasses. He was showing a smirk on his face that indicated foul play, but Hayate just looked at the man's name on his chart and, then, dismissed the genin named Kabuto. Both the Hokage and Anko were suspicious at him, but let it pass. Until the second part was truly over, they couldn't do anything. Their focus, right now, was the genins' fight, or rather, Uchiha Sasuke's fight. As far as they knew, Orochimaru gave the cursed seal only to Sasuke, but the Hokage had the utmost suspicion that his ex-student branded Naruto as well. Hoping to control a jinchuuriki wasn't easy, thus Orochimaru must have placed something on the boy to exert control later on. Back to Hayate, he was addressing the crowd of genins.

"Now, the board behind me will select the opponents. The rest will have to wait on the upper levels. Let the preliminaries begin…" he let out a cough as the board became alive, going through the genins' names randomly like a slots machine.

When the images appeared on the board, Sasuke showed a smirk, but stopped once he felt the pain increase because of the cursed seal. His match was against another genin from Konoha named Yoroi, to whom he admitted never seeing before in his life. Since the matches were underway, everyone went to the upper levels with team seven being the last. Kakashi approached his team with his hands on his pocket. His face expression indicated plain boredom, but inside he was worried for Sasuke and even Naruto, from what he heard from the Hokage. Although he had yet to confirm what Orochimaru did to Naruto, he knew what he did to Sasuke. As soon as he passed the Uchiha, he started a whispered conversation that he knew only Sasuke would hear.

"Sasuke, do not use the cursed seal" The order appeared as shocking to the Uchiha, because he wasn't aware that his sensei knew about it, although, it was expected.

"So you knew…"

"The cursed seal is deeply attached to your chakra, thus it would be prudent to focus more on taijutsu, at least, until we can do something about it. I trust that you won't have much trouble in that department" The next sentence was spoken as he followed Sakura and Naruto upstairs. He still had to talk to Naruto, but that could wait. If Naruto had received the cursed seal, then he would be suffering the same symptoms as Sasuke and by looking at the big smile on his face and presumably painless attitude, there was no evidence of a cursed seal. Upon seeing Kakashi, Sakura wanted so badly to just tell him about the cursed seal on Naruto and Sasuke's necks. However, she was even more conflicted now than before. One day before the preliminaries, Sasuke acknowledged the possibility of her opening her mouth and managed to convince her, through a heated discussion that she was not to meddle into other people's business. She disagreed with him for the first time in her life. Nevertheless, her feelings for him stood in the way of telling Kakashi about it.

The fight was now underway as Sasuke stood in front of Yoroi.

He concurred with Kakashi that until he could explore the cursed seal in more depth, he wouldn't use it. A part of him was angry over not being able to use chakra at all for this fight. As an Uchiha, he took great pride in his fire techniques and his Sharingan eyes. Still, it would be a nice challenge for him to test his skills. Hayate coughed a bit, before authorizing the fight to begin. Sasuke's opponent didn't wait and charged against the Uchiha, as well, using plain taijutsu. As he approached, Sasuke realized that the man was bigger than him, thus theoretically stronger. Therefore, he decided to capitalize on a specific principle of what he learned in taijutsu. When the opponent is much stronger than you, simply use his strength against him.

Yoroi came with a strong punch aimed at Sasuke's face, only for the Uchiha to drop to the ground and placed his right foot above the man's knee and the left one close to Yoroi's foot, making him fall on the ground. Sasuke, soon, grabbed his arm and restrained it, while at the same time threatening to break it. At first, it appeared as if he had the upper hand, before Yoroi smirked and used his free hand to grab Sasuke's shirt, before his hands started glowing. Sasuke immediately felt something wrong with his chakra. He managed to release Yoroi's hold landing a kick on Yoroi's face. He did some back flips, but stopped once the pain became unbearable. Focusing on nurturing the pain somewhat, he took his attention away from his opponent, allowing Yoroi to appear in front of him. Yoroi grabbed his head this time with his glowing hand as once more, Sasuke felt his chakra acting strangely.

"You're…sucking my chakra?" The realization forced a smirk behind Yoroi's mask as he thought it was too late for Sasuke now.

"Very cunning of you to notice, but I'm afraid it's too late now." Despite Sasuke's momentary hold, with a trembling right hand, he managed to grab a kunai inside his pouch and quickly attacked Yoroi, opening a deep gash on his clothes. A few inches further and surely, the man would lose a lot of blood. Sasuke capitalized on the man's wonderings and charged using taijutsu once more. He managed to land a nice sequence of kicks, with the last one being a move that he copied from Rock Lee. He sent the man flying with a high kick, before he jumped as well, appearing beneath Yoroi. The force of the kick disoriented him, so while falling, Sasuke started flipping in order to land the finishing blow.

He snarled in mid-air since he lost control over the cursed seal as it started to spread over his face, which caused the Hokage, Anko and Kakashi to get ready in case they needed to immobilize Sasuke. Sasuke, though, bit his lower lip in indignation over losing control over his body and practically forced the cursed seal away as he flipped and finished his taijutsu attack entitled **'Shishi Rendan'. **They were surprised that Sasuke managed to stop the cursed seal by will alone as Hayate declared Sasuke the winner of the match. Kakashi didn't wait for him to go upstairs, though, as he grabbed Sasuke and shunshined away from the arena. On the other side of the room, a disguised Oto jounin smirked at this. He supposed he should follow Kakashi and see what he was planning to do with Sasuke. Meanwhile, Hayate issued the second fight.

_**(AN: I'm not going to focus much on the other fights, since there isn't much need to. Everyone already knows what happened. Instead, when I return to the fights, it will be Naruto's turn)**_

* * *

**===Sasuke and Kakashi===**

Sasuke just stood in the center of the room, while he saw Kakashi planting several kunais around him in a circle. He supposed it had something to do with the cursed seal on his neck, but he waited for his sensei to finish whatever he was planning on doing. Once planting the last kunai, Kakashi looked at his student with a bored expression. He took a moment to ponder about the situation presented before him and the possible repercussions that would result from what he was about to say to Sasuke. It was a pain and in all actuality, he was against the Hokage's orders. As the last Uchiha, everything about Sasuke was considered sensitive, but the old man had faith that the will of fire burned brightly within the boy, despite its cold exterior.

"Sasuke, after I'm done explaining this to you, I don't want you to respond right away. As I'm sure you're aware, the cursed seal on your neck is a very sensitive topic. Hokage-sama asked me to lay out your options. There is a sealing jutsu that is able to seal the cursed seal, which would improve your chances in controlling it. By placing this seal around the cursed seal and based on your will to block its force, we can better contain it." By the look on Kakashi's face, Sasuke could tell that he wished that the Uchiha would choose this path, despite now knowing his other options, but he listened any way. "Your other option, which was given by the Hokage, was for you to use the cursed seal at will." The shock on Sasuke's face was quite evident and in all fairness, Kakashi was surprised as well when he heard Hiruzen's reasons for such. Despite knowing that the Anbu would constantly keep their eyes on Sasuke, Kakashi wondered if, with this, Konoha would end up handing Sasuke to Orochimaru on a silver platter.

Even Orochimaru, hidden from the shadows, was surprised at this as he wondered what his old sensei was thinking. Sasuke, for his part, was surprised at the vote of confidence.

No doubt the Hokage would make sure to keep tabs with him, somehow. The pain he felt was because he tried to repel the cursed seal. He needed power to kill his brother that was for sure. He turned to his sensei with a serious face. Surely, the old man would demand something in return, he reasoned.

"What's the catch if I were to choose the second option?" Kakashi knew Sasuke would go for the second.

"Hokage-sama's only interested in the village's welfare Sasuke." The vague answer was rather clarifying. Uchiha Sasuke may be lost in revenge, but he was smart enough to realize that the sannin Orochimaru wanted something in return for giving him power. And giving anything to Konoha's most wanted criminal besides Itachi, would be, in all essence, considered treason against the hidden village in the leaves. Sasuke supposed it wasn't a tough condition to uphold. Perhaps, this could work to his advantage as well, seeing the only thing that mattered to him now was killing his brother and reviving his clan.

Kakashi nodded in quite concern at Sasuke's choosing. However, it was not his decision to make, rather the Hokage's. He just hoped that this decision wouldn't bring trouble to Konoha in the future. Orochimaru, on the other hand, didn't enjoy this course of action. He should have been thrilled that Sasuke would use the cursed seal, but something in his mind wondered if perhaps said approach could convince Sasuke to remain in the village, rather than the opposite. It didn't take too much intelligence to understand what Kakashi said. Perhaps, he underestimated his sensei a bit. Once back at the dojo, Sasuke and Kakashi were surprised to see that Naruto's fight would be next. According to Sakura, Aburame Shino won his match against the Oto genin Zaku and Shikamaru won against the Oto kunoichi Kin. Now, the forth fight was Naruto against Kiba. Both Sharigan wielders nodded, before a jounin kunoichi by the name of Kurenai approached Kakashi. The scarecrow jounin looked at her with half his visible eye open as he wondered what she wanted to talk about.

"Your genin should forfeit Kakashi, there is no way he can beat Kiba"

Sasuke didn't understand why, but he actually considered telling the jounin not to underestimate Naruto, something he never thought before. Like him, Naruto was an orphan. Like him, the blond was alone and also like him, Naruto received a cursed seal. These three facts alone were kindly opening Sasuke's eyes to who exactly was Uzumaki Naruto. The fact that they belonged to the same team was irrelevant to Sasuke. Kakashi, for his part, just smiled at the jounin's comment, which kind of infuriated Kurenai. The first time Kakashi showed that smile, she wanted to cast her most powerful genjutsu. The feeling only increased with time.

"We'll see about that Kurenai. Naruto has matured a lot since the academy. I bet you'll be surprised" The smug look on Kurenai's face didn't change. She smiled at him and turned to see the fight. It could be considered pride on his part regarding her student, but anything coming from Kakashi's mouth had its merit. However, the blond was the academy's dead last. Even with Sharingan no Kakashi as his sensei, he couldn't be better than Kiba. Sakura, despite everything, wanted to cheer for her teammate and she would.

Back to the fight at hand, Kiba used the period before Hayate's announcement to trash talk Naruto a bit.

"Oi Naruto, why don't you give up already? There's no way a dead last like you can beat me and Akamaru." The dog even let out a bark in acknowledgment of what Kiba said, much to Naruto's displeasure. He decided that using the cursed seal wouldn't be the best course of action right now, for some reason. He would use the skills he already possessed.

"I'll make you eat those words, dog-breath." Hayate had had enough of this and authorized the fight. The two opponents looked at one another for a bit, as the audience discussed between them that Kiba would win this quick. Those voices belonged to Ino and Chouji. Shikamaru would agree, except that he remembered what Naruto did at the forest of death. That energy that surrounded him was strange. Even stranger was that he managed to deal with the Oto genin with just one punch. He couldn't predict the outcome of this match. It was Kiba who made the first move as he molded chakra for his technique. He immediately crouched on the ground like a canine as his nails and teeth were elongated. He, then, vanished from sight, surprising Naruto. His eyes briefly saw some debris from earlier fights. When Kiba hit him on the stomach, the blond already managed to replace his body with nearby wood. However, he was surprised at Kiba's speed. Kiba, for his part, was surprised that the blond managed to use the kawarimi so quickly. He shrugged it off and charged once more, this time landing a strong attack on Naruto's chest, sending him flying. It actually took some air out of Naruto, but he managed to get up and take a kunai from his pouch to aid him.

Kiba charged once more, this time, with his nails, but in underestimating the blond and attacking the same location as before, Naruto managed to parry it with his kunai. Quite shocked at the movement, Kiba created some distance from the blond for a while. He smirked, though, when Akamaru jumped from behind Naruto and started biting the blond's arm. With Akamaru's distraction, Kiba charged Naruto. Naruto noticed Kiba's movement and landed a strong punch on Akamaru's face, before throwing him straight at Kiba. So concerned he was for his partner's well-being, that he let go of the attack, in order to see if Akamaru was okay. Kiba snarled at Naruto for hurting Akamaru, before he gave a red pill to his partner.

"It's over this time Naruto. I was considering taking it easy on you. **Juujin Bunshin no Jutsu** (Beast Clone Technique)".

Naruto was surprised when Akamaru's fur turned red. He was even more surprised when the dog jumped at Kiba's back and transformed into another Kiba, as if one wasn't already difficult to begin with. Kiba and Akamaru smirked and charged Naruto at the same time. They began spinning madly. Suddenly, they formed two drills as they charged at Naruto with great speed. It was Kiba's strongest technique so far and he would use it against the blond for what he did to Akamaru.

"**Gatsuuga **(Dual Piercing Fang Technique)"

Acting quickly, Naruto managed to get out of the way from both drills, but he never took his eyes away from the drills as they made a turn and charged once more. This time, it was a close call as one second later; the second drill would catch him. Kiba and Akamaru attacked him relentlessly, not allowing him time to attack. Quickly grabbing a smoke bomb from inside his pouch, he threw it to the ground, enveloping him inside. The drills continued his attack, but with the smoke bomb, they couldn't see. When the smoke was cleared, the entire audience was confused when instead of Naruto, a third Kiba appeared. The three looked at each other with shocked faces. Kakashi and Sasuke smirked at Naruto's way of thinking. Chouji, Ino and Shikamaru were shocked to see that Kiba was having trouble with Naruto. Shikamaru was because he thought that the blond would use that energy from the forest of death. The fact that he resorted to other means of attack against Kiba surprised him. What surprised him even more was that Naruto had a brain in order to **henge** into Kiba. Despite the situation, Kiba was the one that smirked as he turned to one of the look-a-likes and punched him.

"A nice plan Naruto, but you can't fool my nose." Kiba's smirk turned into shock as the henge cleared, appearing a beaten Akamaru instead of Naruto. So lost he was that instead of focusing on his senses, he punched the real Akamaru. Kiba was shocked once more. The first beaten Akamaru got up and turned into a smirking Naruto. He charged at Kiba and landed a fierce punch on his face, seeing as his opponent was focused on the fact that he just punched Akamaru, thinking that it was Naruto. Kurenai was surprised at the boy's strategy, wondering if the reports of the academy were accurate.

Kiba got up from the ground and anyone could see in his eyes that he was beyond mad at this point. Not only did Naruto punch Akamaru, but he also forced Kiba to do it as well. Kiba was even trembling from rage, while Naruto resumed his smile of triumph. He guessed it was time to use that technique.

"Oi Kiba, two against one was unfair, dog breath" Kiba had to bite his hand a bit, to control his rage at the blond. "If you like numbers so much, then I have a surprise for you. Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Multi shadow clone technique)" As soon as the words escaped his mouth, the audience opened their mouths, mostly not believing the number of clones that appeared surrounding the also shocked Kiba. As he looked around, all he could see was blond hair and orange jackets. Only those upstairs had a fair advantage in knowing how many clones were down there. The only ones who knew about the boy's knowledge of kage bunshin technique and extensive chakra capacity were the Hokage, Kakashi and Umino Iruka who happened to be watching the fight with a smile on his face at seeing Naruto's growth. Kurenai wondered how the hell Naruto could create so many clones, while looking at Kakashi from the corner of her eye. The scarecrow jounin appeared aloof to things around him, but inside he was smirking at Kurenai for belonging to the list formed by ninjas who underestimated Uzumaki Naruto.

The woman, for her part, felt a bit of shame as she underestimated Kiba's opponent just like Kiba did and now there was no way he could win.

When the clones attacked, Kiba managed to take down a couple dozen driven by pure anger. However, he couldn't deal with the rest as he was pounded mercilessly just like Mizuki was a few months back. A couple minutes of beating later, the clones vanished as the proctor approached the unconscious and beaten Kiba on the floor. He used his fingers to feel for a pulse and was surprised to feel one from the beating he witnessed. Naruto seemed uneasy by seeing the surprised look on the proctor's face. If he wouldn't kill Mizuki, certainly he wouldn't kill a classmate. Orochimaru, back with his disguise, could only drool in anticipation upon seeing how much chakra Naruto possessed. To think that the blond used neither the cursed seal nor the fox's chakra and managed to produce this number of kage bunshins. Soon, with Sasuke's Sharingan and Naruto's insane chakra capacity, no ninjutsu would be out of his grasp, that's for sure.

As the blond returned to the upper levels, he kept his goofy smile, showing how happy he was for winning his match and passing the preliminaries.

He saw that his team was looking at him and, strangely enough, they were smiling at him, even Sasuke for some reason he didn't understand.

The rest of the fights progressed with each genin showing their best in order to qualify for the third and last phase of the exam. Chouji lost his battle against the sound ninja Dosu. Sakura was pitted against Ino, a match that resulted in a tie. Kankuro managed to win his fight against an older Konoha genin, sing his puppet trick and the sand kunoichi Temari bested Tenten through her expertise in wind jutsu. The last two matches, though, showed the genins two things. First of them was never to mess with Sabaku no Gaara. In his match against Rock Lee, he used his sand and crushed Lee's right arm and right leg completely. The fight began with Lee dominating Gaara in speed. However, when Gaara managed to trap Lee, the match was over. With the wounds, there was no guarantee that Lee would be able to resume his life as a ninja. It wasn't a simple case of broken limbs. They were in a word, smashed by the crushing sand. The other thing the genins learned was the deep hatred between the two branches of the Hyuuga Clan. The genius of the branch family Hyuuga Neji was pitted against Hyuuga Hinata, daughter of the Clan head Hyuuga Hiashi. The fight was really dramatic as everyone knew Hinata's kind soul. Despite that, Neji had no remorse and launched killing jyuuken blows at her non-stop. In the middle of the beating, Hinata reacted due to being cheered on by an enraged Naruto. However, that only increased the beating she received.

In the end, Hinata was almost killed by her cousin, if Hayate chose to call the match a minute later she would have been.

Naruto attended her right after the fight was over and even threatened Neji to beat him up on the next part of the exam, much to Kurenai's surprise upon seeing the blond defending her student so much.

Eventually, the preliminaries ended, before the Hokage congratulated those who passed and inspiring those who didn't, so that they could try again next time. Next, for those who passed it was time to choose who their opponents would be. They formed a line in front of Anko and each took out a number from a wooden box, in order to form the pair. This took less than a minute, as all those who passed were asked to say their numbers out loud. After that, both Anko and Morino Ibiki wrote the names on a different board that indicated a tournament chart, going from the first fight to the champion of the tournament all the way to the top. The matches were settled as following:

_Match #1 Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji_

_Match #2 Uchiha Sasuke vs. Gaara_

_Match #3 Sabaku no Kankuro x Aburame Shino_

_Match #4 Nara Shikamaru x Kinuta Dosu_

___Match #5 Sabaku Temari x winner of Match #4_

"The third and last phase of the exam will occur in one month time from now." The Hokage said, surprising those who passed. "There are two reasons behind it. Seeing as you'll be performing for an audience, we will need the time to prepare the necessary summons for the dignitaries that will attend the tournament. Also, these previous matches occurred on the premise that each of you was fighting a stranger, which is no longer the case. You'll need time to train in order to incorporate new skills or perhaps improve your already existing ones. So, in order to make the finals fair and just, we're giving you this month to prepare." The group of genins nodded as each looked towards their respective opponents with mixed feelings. Neji smirked seeing as his first opponent would be an easy one. Naruto, for his part, glared daggers at Neji, from what he did to Hinata. Sasuke locked eyes with Gaara for a while as both were quite eager for this match.

With the preliminaries over, the genins were escorted out of the forest and to their respective place of rests. In one month's time, they would meet again at the Chunnin Exams stadium.

* * *

**===Next day===**

The Hokage was inside his office, while smoking his pipe. In front of his was the list of high dignitaries that he would invite to the last part of the chunnin exams. However, this task wasn't necessarily a concern at the moment. In front of him were Jounin Kakashi and Tokubetsu Jounin Anko. The Hokage called both of them here to discuss what happened at the forest of death between Orochimaru and two of Kakashi's genins. It was needless to say that both Sasuke and Naruto needed to be prepared for the exams, as surely, Orochimaru would make his move then. However, the whole purpose of the one month period was for the genins to better prepare themselves and improve. That being said, Hatake Kakashi couldn't train both of them together.

"Sasuke's first opponent will be the Kazekage's son Gaara. I'll be training him to further improve his sharingan and get him adapt on the cursed seal, as per your instructions Hokage-sama. If he shows me he's ready, I will consider teaching him the Chidori" Such level of confidence in his student, the Hokage mused, just like he had with Orochimaru back when he was just a genin. Regardless, the Chidori was an assassination technique. And to teach a genin an A-ranked technique of said caliber was unheard of. Still, he trusted Kakashi to do the right thing, as far as Sasuke was concerned.

"What do you intend to do regarding Naruto? Like Sasuke, he'll face a tough opponent and you won't be able to train him."

Anko remained quiet throughout the conversation and she wondered why the Hokage called her if he intended to talk about Naruto and Sasuke's training.

"Ebisu already agreed to tutor Naruto for the month. Naruto's insane chakra capacity makes it hard to be controlled. With an elite tutor such as Ebisu, I'm sure Naruto's chakra control will improve. Besides that, I don't believe we have much margin for improvement in one month time, at least as far as a genin should know anyway. Elemental training would be a good start, but one month isn't enough time for that." The Hokage couldn't help but agree that it took time to develop a shinobi's elemental affinity. But what he didn't agree was Kakashi's choice as replacement for Naruto's teacher.

"While I agree with you regarding the element, I believe that Ebisu, despite being an elite tutor, won't achieve results with someone like Naruto. From what Iruka told me, Naruto is more of a trial and error kind of learner. Focusing on theoretical explanations regarding chakra control won't achieve great results. And like you said, by the time he understands what Ebisu is trying to teach him, the month period will be over. I do not doubt your skills as a teacher, Kakashi, but I believe there's a more suitable teacher to improve his skills and I even dare say that this person could help him develop his affinity faster." The smile on the Hokage's face told the silent Anko that she wouldn't like what was about to happen. The scarecrow jounin wasn't bothered by the Hokage's explanation and shrugged his shoulders a bit.

"Who do you suggest then Hokage-sama?" He had a feeling he already knew the answer, but asked anyway. The Hokage smiled, before turning to the already enraged Anko.

"Think you can take care of him, Anko?" he knew the woman would explode in about two seconds, but it never ceased to amuse this old man.

"What! Now I'm supposed to babysit some brat. Screw it, I'll deal with him just fine. When you meet him Kakashi, tell him to meet me at the Dango stand at noon." She marched towards the handle, but paused once she reached the handle and opened. "Oh and be sure to warn him that he'll be my little toy for the duration of the month. I won't be held responsible if he appears at the hospital all bruised and full of holes". She slammed the door afterwards, leaving an amused Hokage and a surprised Kakashi, who then turned to see the smile on his leader's face.

"Was that wise Hokage-sama? That threat seemed genuine." A great laughter came from the Hokage's mouth and Kakashi wondered if perhaps old age had lost his sanity.

"Naruto will be fine, I'm sure of it. If anyone can help him improve his skills, that person would be her. Naruto works better with action instead of books anyway and Anko used to train junior Anbu shinobi." Kakashi knew the old man had another reason for such as the old man suddenly became serious about the ordeal. "She is also our best bet in finding out what Orochimaru did to Naruto at the Forest of Death Kakashi. If anything tampered with Minato's seal, then I must contact Jiraiya immediately." Kakashi nodded in understanding.

"Well, then I'm off to find Sasuke and Naruto to tell him the news." He, then, vanished using a shunshin.

* * *

**===With Sasuke===**

Uchiha Sasuke was about to leave the compound of his family when he saw Kakashi standing at the exit, while reading that book of his. Upon seeing the genin, Kakashi closed the book and approached Sasuke with his hands on pockets.

"Sasuke, pack your bags, we're leaving to begin your training for the exams. I already got clearance from the Hokage." Sasuke just nodded and returned to his house to pack as per instructions.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

A kage bunshin of Kakashi appeared in front of Naruto's apartment just as he opened the door.

"Oi Kakashi-sensei, I was about to go look for you. Now, we can begin my training."

"Naruto, I will be training Sasuke for the exams." The sudden information shocked Naruto and he damn well protested.

"WHAT! Ok, so what, you're abandoning me and train Sasuke, what's the deal here?" Naruto made his best face of anger, but clone Kakashi just maintained his normal expression.

"Sasuke's opponent is Gaara Naruto. He'll need all the training he can to face against him. And no, I didn't abandon you, although it hurts that you think so little of your sensei. A good friend of mine agreed to train you for the entire month. You are to meet her at the dango stand in one hour." Naruto continued to stare at the jounin with his face of anger. "Train hard Naruto. With the right motivation, you can overcome any obstacle set before you. I'm quite eager to see the results of your training in one month time. Until then, take care". Kakashi clone was dispelled soon afterward, which infuriated the blond even more. However, the blond wouldn't be deterred by this. He needed to get stronger. Becoming a chunnin meant one more step towards his Hokage dream. Plus, he needed to teach Neji a lesson for what he did to Hinata.

* * *

**===One hour later===**

Once he arrived in front of the dango stand, he got inside and looked around in order to find the one who would be training him for the entire month. He was surprised, though, that only one person was there. Naruto was wondering where he met the kunoichi in front of him. There wasn't many kunoichis wearing trench coats, had purple hair and wore Anbu shin guards on her legs. When Anko turned and smiled at her charge, Naruto's face went blank in fear as he now remembered where he saw her for the first time.

"You are late brat, I will be tor…taking care of you…."

"Ah, it's the crazy lady from the chunnin exams. Run for your lives…." The blond screamed to heavens as he ran far away from Anko. A vein popped on her forehead as she took all the empty dango sticks and even a few senbons from her pouch and chased the screaming Naruto. The brat's voice was annoying as it is, without him calling her crazy lady. Oh he would pay dearly for that! It was a wild chase throughout the village as Naruto was busy dodging senbons that were being thrown by an infuriated Anko. Naruto quickly passed by Sasuke and Kakashi, never once stopping to great them or curse Kakashi for doing this to him. When Anko passed with a great load of senbons between her fingers, Kakashi just smiled at his student, while Sasuke looked at his sensei. He was trying very hard not to laugh at the scene, though.

Eventually, Naruto entered a training ground which was, in fact, a forest covered with trees and a nice river. He used tree walking to climb a tree, before the woman stopped chasing him.

"Brat, get down from there, I won't throw senbons at you anymore. I just want to talk to you…" The frown on his face told her that he didn't trust her enough to do that. However, when she just walked away from him, towards the lake, he figured that she was telling the truth. So, he followed her, until the river margin as Anko stepped on top of the river and walked like she was doing before. Looking back, she saw that he wasn't following her. She smiled, knowing that like Kakashi said, the blond needed chakra control exercises. "Ok brat, let's get one thing straight. I don't like babysitting little brats, so if it's training what you desire, then training is what you'll get. I'm not used to training little genins, so I'll give you the same hard time I give to junior Anbu personnel. The very second I hear any complaint out of you, I'll leave and you're on your own. You understand?"

Naruto nodded, though something inside his mind told him very seriously to reconsider.

"Good. Now, according to your sensei Kakashi, your chakra control is total crap, so we'll work on that. Also, from what you've displayed minutes ago, you have good reflexes, but I'll hone them even more, so be prepared for sneak attacks. We'll only have one month, which hardly is enough time to improve your taijutsu, which by the way, still needs work. You'll be my punching bag for a while, until you learn how to fight at an adequate level. Our fights will be unrestricted, meaning that I can use anything against you, as you can on me. When I'm through with you, if you're not dead by then, you'll be considered chunnin material in my book. Now, as far as ninjutsu and genjutsu, we'll focus more on the former. With chakra capacity as big as yours and with control as crappy as yours, no genjutsu technique would ever work. Now, the Hokage was against you focusing so much on your element, but we'll give it a try. Remember, for one month's time, you'll be mine to play with and you won't get to rest until maybe two days before the exam and only if I feel like it." This general type attitude was actually exciting Naruto, instead of frightening him. If half of what she intended to teach him got through, then he no doubt would win this tournament.

Anko could see, in his eyes that the boy wasn't scared and it only served to ignite something inside of her, as she reached for a piece of white paper inside her pouch. If he enjoys being tortured so much, he'll fall in love with me, she reasoned. Seriously, even junior Anbu would be trembling right now. Maybe, training this brat wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. But first, she needed to learn his element. This rule that elemental chakra is a chunnin level skill was bullshit and she intended to at least teach him a technique or two of his element. "Now before I begin to explain you about the elements, I'd like to see which one you're most suited with. So focus some chakra through this sheet of paper right here. It's made from a special tree here in Konoha."

As Naruto took the piece of paper with his right hand, he looked at it for a while, before looking at the woman in front of him. He nodded and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened, he was surprised to see that the paper was sliced in multiple pieces. Upon looking at Anko's sudden shocked face, Naruto wondered if he did the exercise wrong. Actually what shocked Anko wasn't the fact that she had to teach him the wind element. Sure, it was considered the toughest element to master, because of its volatility. What shocked her was that normally the paper would just sliced only _once_. She remembered when a friend of her Asuma was tested. Naruto's paper, instead, was sliced multiple times, perhaps indicating a very strong affinity for this element, which was quite unheard of. Naruto was still lost, though.

"Ah, what does this mean?" She awakened from her shock and explained.

"It means that you, perhaps, have the strongest affinity for wind in Konohagakure. There are five main elements and by channeling chakra through the paper, it could either catch on fire indicating a fire affinity, turned to dust indicating an earth affinity; get moist indicating a water affinity; crumble indicating a lightning affinity or in your case, sliced in half indicating a wind affinity. Yours, though, show a perhaps a stronger affinity, because normal wind affinities would just slice this paper in half. For now, we'll focus on improving your chakra control, reflexes and taijutsu. When you get tired from it, you'll start the exercises meant for wind manipulation. Seriously brat, what I'm about to say won't mean I'm praising you or anything, but you have potential that far exceeds your expectations. It will be up to you to make them into reality. Now, as far as schedule is concerned, you won't have much time to sleep. I was serious about what I said before. We'll be training from sunrise to sunset and even during nights."

"Whatever it takes, Anko-sensei…" Naruto said, earning a devilish smirk from Anko.

"Welcome to hell, then, Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

**Author Note**

Man, how I love writing fan fiction. Seriously, upon the end of this chapter, I was practically laughing in excitement.

Ok, then, few changes occurred on the preliminaries. Sasuke was allowed to use the cursed seal by the Hokage, in hopes that he would use in favor of the village. Will this leniency return to bite the Hokage in the ass? Who knows? Naruto's cursed seal was modified by the fox to give his host more power, without fear of Orochimaru taking control of him, in the future. Also, if some believed that Naruto didn't have much trouble against Kiba, as opposed to canon, you'd do well to remember that this time his chakra wasn't tempered by Orochimaru. And it was my belief at the time that the Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multi Shadow Clone Technique) was the jutsu he was about to use on Kiba, when he farted instead. Furthermore, Sasuke is slowly opening up to the presence of Uzumaki Naruto as a rival for him to test his powers against. With time, this feeling will improve to friendship.

Oh and before anyone dares to ask, this is **NOT F*ING YAOI!**

Please review!


	3. One hell of a training!

**Author Note**

Hi there and welcome to another chapter of Accursed Brothers.

Well, not much to say really before the chapter, since this is the third chapter. Not that people need much time to read the first two chapters anyway, so I won't bother telling here what already happened. Now, regarding what will happen, I have plenty to say. This chapter will mainly show Naruto's training in detail. Of course, for those who read last chapter, you're already aware that Naruto will suffer a little bit, throughout the training period. But that isn't news, right? Anyone who gives Anko full permit to do whatever she wanted, ends up suffering the consequences.

But…the results will be worth it.

* * *

I also, beginning with this chapter, will answer the reader's reviews.

**Cruel Vamp** – No…Jiraiya won't plan any part in Naruto's training. He'll appear in Naruto's training only later.

**Ccebling** – Naruto will learn a few jutsus, but I won't go there, until he has covered some holes, like chakra control, taijutsu and his reflexes. Something I've been very curious about is why Kishimoto never bothered showing some of Naruto's jutsus beforehand. I don't know if it is just me, but when I saw the number of new Rasengan techniques displayed at the manga, I just asked myself if I missed anything. Out of the blue, he creates almost ten new Rasengan based techniques for Naruto to use and doesn't even explain how or when the blond created any of them. The boy's father took three years to create one and Naruto manages to create ten in one single training session. It just amazes me that's all.

**Foxsadist712** – Don't worry about it. I enjoy reading helpful criticism. With it, I can improve my writing skills.

**Gluttony Fang **– The cursed seal of earth increases his strength and agility. It's different from the Heaven Cursed Seal, which focus on increasing one's chakra.

**Codenamed-Bolt** – I will develop a more significant relation between Naruto and Anko, but a different one than what you're thinking. Naruto will see in her as a big sister, that's all. Regarding the Chidori, I'm still debating if Kakashi will teach him right now or not. There are several other lightning jutsus Kakashi could teach Sasuke. It doesn't have to be the Chidori or even the Raikiri.

Well, with that taken care of, let's proceed with the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 3 – One hell of a training!**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

One week had passed since the beginning of Naruto's chakra and like Anko warned, it was the living embodiment of hell.

At first, Anko was against the idea of camping right at the Training Ground. However, that changed once the woman felt that she didn't want to cross the village every time she had to meet her favorite torture subject. So, they made camp right next to the Forest of Death. However, who's to say that Anko would even let the boy get his rest. One time, after not even two hours of sleep Anko rudely wakened him with cold water and a lot of noise. Since that time, Naruto only fell asleep once he was sure that his teacher slept before him.

The rude awakenings didn't stop though, but at least he managed to get more hours of sleep because of it.

Besides that and the obvious lack of ramen, which for Naruto was worse than the lack of sleep, his training was progressing rather nicely and he was excited because of it. Naruto mused that he trained almost twenty hours every day and had approximately four hours in between to eat and sleep. Anko devised a peculiar method of training that aimed, most of all, three things at the same time: taijutsu, chakra control and agility. It consisted basically of Anko beating the crap out of him for a good three hours every morning. She would use everything at her disposal, except obviously powerful ninjutsu, which would harm him more than she ever intended to. His taijutsu improved because of it, because after quite a lot of beatings, he ended up learning how to counter attack. Of course, it was impossible for him to hit a jounin like Anko, but she figured that against a genin or even a low level chunnin, the boy was adequate enough.

Lastly, his chakra control improved because on occasions, Anko would take the fight to the trees and the on top of the water, forcing Naruto to use his control while dodging senbons and shurikens.

It was precisely this way how he even learned how to do water walking. If he didn't learn, then Anko would use him as target practice for the rest of the day. That being said, unless Naruto wanted his body full of holes, he forced his control to improve by going up and down the trees multiple times, until he had adequate control to attempt water walking. When the afternoon began, the two went – actually Naruto did and Anko just waited – hunting for food. Anko even had the audacity of sending him inside the Forest of Death just so that he could grab a nice juicy steak for her. She expected for Naruto to encounter some dangerous creatures like a gigantic tarantula or a snake. The woman was surprised when Naruto appeared unscathed, as well as twenty clones, carrying a five hundred pound wild pig for her. The poor animal had kunai holes all over his body.

After lunch, it was time for ninjutsu. Anko believed that before Naruto even attempted the higher level jutsus and even wind manipulation, he needed to master the genin level techniques.

Naruto actually protested against it, but he was quickly convinced once the jounin took some kunais from her holster and smiled deviously at him.

Throughout the entire field, they've gathered a lot of wood and rocks for Naruto to use them as replacements without even blinking. At first, he was rather slow, but with time, Naruto managed to increase the pace, probably from fear of being Anko's target practice. The Kawarimi may be considered an E ranked ninjutsu, but it was perhaps the best jutsu used when physically evading something is impossible. Eventually, Naruto saw merit in learning it. The bunshin jutsu was almost impossible, so Anko didn't even bother with it. Naruto had way too much chakra for that to work. It didn't matter because he had the kage bunshin to use. Said training took four to five hours, before Anko moved on to wind manipulation. Since it took a great deal of concentration, she just let him alone for that time. She got Naruto a scroll on basic wind manipulation and even a couple jutsus for him to use if he even manages the first step down. It consisted of slicing a leaf in half using the boy's chakra.

One week into it and nothing much happened in that regard.

Other than a small dent from the left side, nothing happened and an entire week had passed. Anko knew, though, that the genin would persevere.

AS the training progressed, much to Anko's surprise, Naruto rarely complained, if ever at all, when some Anbu would already quit and return to their boring chunnin or even jounin days. Of course, she wouldn't tell him that, because it would be complacent on her part. After the first week was done, she was proud to say that the Naruto's training was going well. His chakra control was much better than before. His taijutsu improved severely compared to that _style _he used before. One thing that Kakashi's training, or lack thereof, never seemed to bother changing. Now, she smiled and could honestly attest some difficulty at hitting the brat. His form improved as well as his agility. It was actually very impressive before for a genin, but now it can be considered chunnin level. Out of one hundred senbons she threw at him in two hours, she missed the impressive amount of ninety senbons. What was more impressive was that he used his kunai to deflect the other ten.

But none of this was enough to beat Neji and not once did she miss the opportunity to tell him that. Still, the brat was relentless with his training.

When the second week came, Anko increased the pace of his training, as she constantly beat him more thoroughly and used her shurikens more accurately than before. Still, Naruto didn't complain, so she pushed forward. The brat would always demand more and, very rarely, he succumbed to unconsciousness. During one of their fights, Naruto managed to use the kawarimi so effectively that he managed to sneak behind his teacher and sent a horde of shuriken at her. Anko was so surprised that she nearly received all of them. It was so fast and so unpredictable in her mind. With a quick use of a kunai, she deflected them all. When she saw the smirk on his face, Anko felt compelled to smile as well. The rate in which his skills were advancing was ridiculous. And to tell the truth, she wanted to see his limit. She wanted to see how much he could grow under her care. She wanted to see him kicking everyone's ass at the exams.

That's why, when the second week ended, she made a single kage bunshin and sent back to the village for a small gift.

Anko attested Naruto as close-ranged fighter so why not give him something in that regard? The clone came back with a scroll and gave it to the real one, while she saw Naruto focusing on the leaf slicing exercise. She could see that the leaf was almost one hundred percent sliced, so Naruto was good as done for the exams in terms of wind manipulation.

"Naruto, that's enough for today, come here." The order came out as strange to the blond, based on his experience so far, so he looked at her, waiting for a trap of some kind. Anko actually smirked at his response. At least, he was beginning to use his head more as well.

"What is it, Anko-sensei? The moon isn't up yet. Why are you telling me to stop?" The blond approached his sensei and took a seat in front of her. She looked at her student for a while. His body was hurting all over; his clothes were ragged and burned. For all intents and purposes, Naruto was a mess and wouldn't be able to do half the things he had done so far. Anko took the small fact that Naruto healed fast and used it to harden his muscles and reflexes. Through that much pain, he could now have a better understanding in a fight and dodge/evade instead of only blocking, like he did at the beginning.

"As I said it before, you're a close-ranged fighter and Neji is one as well. So, I've decided to give you an advantage…here you go."

Naruto took the scroll from Anko's hand and unsealed its content, before a kodashi appeared on his right hand. Its design was simple and black in color, but Naruto couldn't take his eyes off it. He noticed that the hilt was barely big enough for him to use both hands and he looked at Anko for an explanation. She didn't say anything and ushered him to release the sword from the scabbard and hold it in a reverse grip sort of way. It would be the style of kenjutsu that he would learn for the duration of one week. Naruto noticed that the hilt was smaller so that the metal could be longer in compensation.

"You are to treat this sword as if it were your own limbs, Naruto. Also, it will serve to hone your skills in wind manipulation. This sword is made with chakra conductive metal. Try focusing chakra through it and you'll see what I mean."

Doing as he was told, Naruto focused chakra throughout the sword and saw how the blue energy circling around the metal. Naruto saw that Anko came closer and dropped a baseball sized rock towards the chakra enhanced sword. When the rock reached the sword's position, Naruto was surprised that the sword sliced the rock clean in two pieces. The two pieces of the stone were now on the ground as he looked at Anko with a confident smile on his face. He knew that every time he smiled like that, Anko would make sure to wipe it off his face, but this time he would risk it gladly. After all, it was the first time anyone has given him a gift, besides the Sandaime Hokage.

"You know what happens to you when you smile like that, right brat?"

Anko was already cracking her knuckles, but Naruto never lost the smile off his face.

"I know…but I'm too happy right now to care what will happen to me. This is perhaps the best gift someone gave me. I wanted to express how happy I am right now." Anko smiled at the brat and stood down from her threat. Normally, it wouldn't bode well for an instructor to get complacent with his or her student. But just this once, she would give him some time off.

"Ok brat, you've earned some time off. But starting tomorrow, you'll work double of what you're doing right now, you got it?"

"Yes Anko-sensei" Naruto promptly saluted his sensei.

Even if Anko had told him to lay low for the day, Naruto was too ecstatic with his new gift and decided to use it as much as possible. It was entirely Anko's fault, since she slipped the information that using a weapon to focus wind chakra on ended up decreasing the time needed to achieve proficiency in wind manipulation. The sensei didn't try to persuade him against it, because of this same reason. If Naruto managed to finish the leaf slicing exercise quicker, they could move on to the jutsus that she intended him to learn within the weeks of training for the exams. Kenjutsu lessons wouldn't start for a while, as first Naruto needed to get accustomed to the blade into his hand. Anko would afterward show him the moves and, then, they would begin the slow motion spars.

It took approximately three hours for Naruto to let go of the sword for the day, before he approached his sensei and took a seat. The smile of satisfaction was still on him.

"I wouldn't know the sword alone would make you this happy?" The question awoke Naruto from his inner musings.

"It's not that…I mean, the sword is the greatest. But it's something else." When Anko ushered him to explain, he continued. "I've been a genin for quite some time now, but I've never realized how much further I could go, before I started training with you, Anko-sensei. Kakashi-sensei is nice and all, but in all honesty, he didn't focus much on me, other than teaching the tree walking exercise and some sparse lessons in taijutsu. What I mean to say is that I've learned more from you in two weeks than in four months from Kakashi-sensei. I just wanted to say thank you; not only for the sword, but for the training as well." Anko suddenly smirked at the blond.

"If getting beat up every time is what you're thankful for, you're welcome brat." Both smiled at the interaction, while eating some ration bars for dinner.

"Anko-sensei, do you think I could learn some wind jutsus now that I finished the leaf exercise?" The sensei snorted at the comment.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're still due to finish…" Anko stopped once she saw Naruto gathering a leaf from the ground and slicing it clean out of a sudden. "…the sword?"

"Hehehe…yeah. I just visualized the sword infused with my chakra and applied it to the leaf. Not bad, huh?"

Anko smiled and then, gave Naruto a scroll containing two wind jutsus for him to learn, starting tomorrow. They were considered C-ranked and mostly supplementary techniques, but it would add nicely to Naruto's way of fighting. Both the **reppushou** (gale wind palm technique) and the **daitoppa** (great breakthrough) would increase his odds in a fight. Taking Naruto's fast use of the kawarimi in conjunction to these two techniques, the brat finally had a way to beat Neji, though the byakugan couldn't be fooled in terms of attacking from behind. The genin was finally collecting the fruits from his hard work, but Anko would rather kill herself than to become lenient on the kid. Kami knows he's this way because of her brutal methods.

"Ok brat, get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll increase the pace of your training. We'll have one more week to train and the next one; we'll take our time and study your opponents."

"Is it really necessary? I could train some more." Hokage-sama warned her about the brat's preference, and on some level, she would accept Naruto's logic. But a chunnin needed more than just skills.

"We already covered enough ground and will cover even more this next week. Information on the battlefield is what actually wins battles, Naruto. Chunnins are leaders, hence why before acting, they must gather as much information as possible on the enemy. Quite certainly, the judges will take your strategy into account as much as they'll take your skills. Can you tell me why a strong shinobi, whose only strategy is to beat an enemy using brute force, could never become a chunnin?" Naruto thought for a while, while taking what Anko had said into account.

"It's because he lacks strategy?" Although innocent, Naruto answered right.

"That's precisely why. One advantage your opponents have is that they have had a better education, since they belong to shinobi clans with great resources. Nara, Hyuuga, Uchiha, Aburame…all of them will come to the tournament prepared, both physically and mentally and so should you. Seriously, brat, I won't have my student lose to an enemy, say Neji, because he forgot about the Hyuuga's byakugan, or to Shikamaru, if you forget about his clan's special abilities to control shadows. All of this knowledge will have to be taken into account at the tournament. Now, we'll focus on that part closer to the end of the month. And you're right about getting some extra training, so we'll take only the three last days for the information department, okay? Now get some sleep, will you?" Naruto saluted the woman once more and closed his eyes right there by the fire.

Anko smirked at the brat and was about to do the same, when she sensed someone approaching from behind.

Taking a kunai, she almost threw the projectile at the man, before the silver hair and the blue mask threw her off. The sudden appearance of Kakashi surprised Anko as she thought that the man was training Sasuke far away from here. The fact that he walked in with one hand inside his pocket and one busy holding an orange book gave Anko the indication that the Kakashi in front of her was the real scarecrow jounin. For all intents and purposes, it could very well be Orochimaru or someone under his command trying to use Naruto once more. She also knew that Kakashi wouldn't risk leaving Sasuke by himself, so the one in front of her must be a kage bunshin.

"Are you a clone or the original?" The man just smiled at her, before looking at the sleeping form of his student. Anko saw it and answered his silent question. "He's doing great if you must know, however something's been bugging me since the training started. It's actually good that you're here, because I couldn't just leave this place and warn Hokage-sama. Please come here and take a look at Naruto's exposed neck and tell me what you see." The clone did as requested, before his eye widened to impossible proportions. Although it was different from Sasuke and even Anko's seal design, he knew it to be one of Orochimaru's creations indeed. So Naruto was also branded with the cursed seal. However, where Sasuke was terribly affected by it, Naruto didn't seem to be.

"Did he manifest its power during training?" Anko negated that statement with a simple shake of the head.

"Not once so far, even though I pushed the brat more than I've pushed junior Anbu. If anger was the catalyst, then this brat is a saint. Also, I'm quite curious as to the red color, instead of the usual black one I carry." Kakashi took another look at the seal and got curious as well. Sasuke's was black as well.

"I wonder why he hasn't said anything either to me, you or the Hokage. Perhaps, he is hiding it, but for what reason?"

Kakashi voiced his thoughts for a while, before turning to Anko. "Will you confront him about it?"

"I actually don't know what to do in that regard or if I need to do anything at all. If he hasn't used so far is because he doesn't like to rely on it. I was hoping you could ask Hokage-sama for me."

The Kakashi clone nodded, before focusing on other aspects. He focused on Naruto's ragged clothes and the number of bruises on his skin. He figured that Anko would push him hard, but perhaps she was going overboard. Nevertheless, he supposed that Anko knew what she was doing, hence he chose not to comment about the brat's training. It was best that Kakashi didn't know as well, since he was training Sasuke, one of Naruto's opponents at the exams. He would consult the Hokage about it. Hopefully, he would shed some light about what to do concerning Naruto.

"I'll talk to him about it. I'm pretty sure he'll ask Jiraiya to take a look on the other seal to see what happened to Naruto. If that occurs, expect his visit sometime during next week." The clone smiled at Anko, before dispelling, in order to send information to the original Kakashi.

* * *

**===Mountainous region of Fire Country===**

Immediately after the clone was dispelled, the real Kakashi flinched at the received information. Branding Sasuke with the cursed seal was pretty low for Orochimaru, but branding Naruto was even worse. Orochimaru must have figured that whatever happened as a consequence would be to his advantage. If the Kyuubi was released as a result of the cursed seal, then Konoha would be destroyed, hence his plan was accomplished. If not, then he managed to place a part of him inside of Naruto and is working from the inside in order to gain himself more chakra than any thought possible. Indeed, Orochimaru was dangerous, but tempering with something as powerful as the Kyuubi was beyond nuts in his opinion. Summoning another kage bunshin, he sent the clone towards the Hokage's Office as he knew the man would be working at this late hour.

Kakashi just wondered what the leader would do concerning Naruto. His jinchuuriki status was sensitive enough and now he was also branded with the cursed seal. It became a more troublesome situation than he ever thought it would be.

* * *

**===At the Hokage's Office===**

The Hokage was busy going through some reports when a knock was heard at the door.

He was surprised to see Kakashi entering, before he smiled. Kakashi wouldn't risk leaving Sasuke alone because of Orochimaru.

"I assume you have urgent news to discuss, since you've sent a clone here in such a late hour?"

"Anko has confided me with some rather interesting news about Naruto. From what I could see, Orochimaru branded him with the cursed seal as well." The Hokage was reading a report while listening to the jounin, but Kakashi could very well see that his attention wasn't on the report anymore. Why would it, actually? It's not every day you find out that your own student isn't only experimenting on humans, but with demons as well; especially one who could level an entire village with just a swing of its tails.

"Is it the same as Sasuke's? Why didn't it manifest yet like Sasuke's?"

"It's not the same, although I'm only speaking about its design. I don't have the skills to tell the difference." Grabbing a blank piece of paper from the desk, Kakashi showed the Hokage Naruto's seal. "It's red, though instead of black."

"I don't know much about it either, let's hope that Jiraiya is in the neighborhood to take a look at it before the finals. Please tell Anko to avoid doing anything that could temper with both seals. I will contact that pervert."

* * *

**===At Training Ground #43===**

"Ok, I'll do as he said. Thanks Kakashi" The clone nodded, before vanishing once more.

Upon looking at Naruto's seal once more, Anko unconsciously rubbed hers as well. She hated her old sensei so much, so she took it upon herself to deal with the man. However, now not only Anko, but Naruto and Sasuke shared the same fate. Naruto was perhaps the most sensitive case, because he housed the Kyuubi inside of him. If anything damaged the Yondaime's seal, the beast would get out and destroy everything in its path. All because that bastard wanted power!

Right now, it was useless to dwell on such thoughts.

It was best to train Naruto to the best of her abilities, so that when the time came, he could deal with Konoha's enemies.

* * *

**===Next day===**

The sun barely appeared and two ninjas were already going at each other with vigor. Naruto knew that Anko would step up his training, but he was able to sense a sudden increase in Anko's temper that he never saw before. It appeared as if the woman really wanted to harm him, rather than train him. Nevertheless, he figured that by evading this new Anko and even landing a few hits would certify him against tougher opponents at the exams like Neji. If he could cover his own ass against a jounin, then dealing with Neji would be a piece of cake.

Naruto blocked an incoming kick that would aim his head, before performing a quick kawarimi to appear behind her, however Anko already knew this move and quite surprisingly unleashed a great load of snakes at the boy. Upon seeing the snakes coming from inside her sleeves, Naruto was surprised as hell. However, he managed to use another replacement technique and appeared to her side, with a kunai on his hand. Anko just turned and performed some hand seals, before gathering air inside her lungs. She exhaled a gigantic fireball at him. Naruto quickly sent a kage bunshin in front of him as he dodged the fireball's path. The blond was right next to Anko with the intention of kicking her, but Anko smirked at his attempt and grabbed a couple of shurikens. The genin knew that Anko wouldn't hesitate with those shurikens, hence why he jumped backwards and sticked himself to thee behind him, before throwing some kunais at his sensei.

The woman deflected Naruto's projectiles with her shurikens, but did nothing afterward, which confused Naruto greatly.

It was sheer reflex that Naruto jumped roughly to the side and avoided another projectile assault. As he looked at the one who attacked him from behind, he noticed that it was his sensei. The one to whom he was fighting had transformed into mud. Deciding to use his favorite jutsu, Naruto summoned four kage bunshins and sent them towards Anko. Anko expected the clones to attack her without any sort of coordination, however she quickly saw that they were reflexion of the original. So, it took her some time to deal with them, however it worked well for Naruto to vanish from sight and prepare something for her. As soon as the clones were dealt with, Naruto quickly appeared behind Anko and attacked her. Anko turned in time to see him and bended her body slightly, avoiding Naruto's sneak attack. She, then, landed a fierce kick on his stomach. The genin was sent flying towards the ground, before landing hard on the ground.

Anko dropped right in front of him and waited for her student to get up.

"Get up brat, I told you I'd increase the pace. You can do better than that, get up." Anko decided to provoke him further by landing a kick on his stomach, however when she landed, she was surprised to see that she kicked wood instead.

And it wasn't a normal piece of wood as it was covered with explosive tags. Anko snarled at the brat's sneakiness, before summoning a quick tsuchi bunshin to escape the explosion. Naruto was smirking at his trap, but frowned once he saw Anko standing behind him with a smile on her face. He got ready for any kind of attack, but instead all he received were claps coming from his sensei. Naruto managed, with a few E-ranked ninjutsu, overcome a jounin. She wouldn't be a good sensei, if she didn't praise her student's good work.

"That was really nice, Naruto. Now, hit the water. It's time for a new exercise in chakra control I've been meaning to teach you." Naruto took some time to breathe and nodded at the order. After he stopped in the middle of the lake, Naruto's eyes widened to impossible proportions once he saw a baseball sized rock coming right his way fast. He managed to dodge it albeit barely.

"This way you can practice your chakra control at the same time as you practice your agility. Now if you don't want to get hit, you'll have to dodge and I have my entire collection of rocks here to throw at you." Both Naruto and the Hokage (who was watching everything with his mystic ball) face-faulted at the overkill method of training, but only the Hokage had such luxury. Anko even summoned a kage bunshin and instead of one, two now threw rocks at Naruto. While seeing the brat dodging the rocks out of fear for his life, the Hokage was wondering if perhaps Anko was taking this a bit too hard on the boy. The man never heard of Anbus being trained like this. But as the training progressed, the Hokage was amazed that Naruto was managing the exercise. He flinched once he saw that one nasty rock hit Naruto's stomach, which took the air away from him for a while. Anko at least waited until he was good enough to return and continued the assault. Two hours later, Naruto was thanking the heavens that the exercise was over.

Probably, the Hokage was as well, but the genin wouldn't know.

"Now, we'll be stuck with wind manipulation and kenjutsu, Naruto. You have fifteen minutes to recover your energy and eat something."

The boy just nodded and took a couple of ration bars from his pocket as he had time to pounder on what happened at the fight. He didn't know why, but immediately after the bunshins were dealt with, Naruto saw the battle from an angle he had never been before. He also remembered seeing Anko punching him in the face, when actually, she only kicked him. What was going on here, he asked. It shouldn't be possible for this to occur or was he actually losing his mind due to this insane training?

"Is there something on your mind brat?"

After Naruto explained, Anko took a while to stare at Naruto as if what he said was nothing new. "You're telling me you didn't know about the fact that a kage bunshin transfers the information back to the original once dispelled?" The look of pure question mark in front of her pretty answered the question. Anko was contemplating between beating him for it or beat herself for not using this knowledge to his best interest. Granted that any information the clone gathered could be transferred to the original, the genin could boost his chakra control and wind manipulation exercises, as well as new jutsus to master, before the finals. "Naruto, how many clones can you produce without tiring yourself out?" Naruto moved to his thinking pose for a while.

"Well, I'd say one hundred give or take, why?" Anko was practically laughing in excitement.

"Summon one hundred and divide them in three groups. One will practice chakra control. The second will practice the leaf slicing exercise and the rest will be attempting the jutsus. The more you can summon, the faster your learning rate will be." Naruto took a while to understand and nodded, before summoning one hundred copies of himself. He, quickly, divided them into groups as per Anko's orders, before everyone began their part of the training. Anko was marveled at the sight of so many training just for one's benefit.

"What am I going to do Anko-sensei?" The question alerted Anko and she turned to see the original. What shocked her was that instead of getting tired with all the chakra used for the kage bunshins, Naruto was perfectly fine. Seriously, how much chakra does this kid possess? He wasn't even using the cursed seal or the fox's chakra. It was all his.

"Grab your sword Naruto, it's time for you to learn the katas." So this was Naruto's routine for the entire week. From morning until noon, Naruto would fight with Anko with no restraints, not even with jutsus. In the afternoon, he would summon his clones for the chakra part and new ninjutsu techniques, while he practiced his kenjutsu katas. Anko would, on occasion, summon an Anbu training course and usher the genin to go through it a great number of times, so that he could lower his time needed to go through the obstacles. And Naruto achieved some great timing on the obstacle course. Not Anbu level, though, but good enough to leave a lot of chunnins behind.

When the week was over, Anko decided to test the results of Naruto's training with the kage bunshins. The results were nearly palpable as his speed greatly increased as well as the speed behind his techniques. The blond managed to learn the two fuuton jutsus and even adapted them to his routine. He would use kawarimi to get behind the enemy and throw two shurikens, before using the **Reppushou** technique to impale the enemy. Anko only managed to dodge it by using the tsuchi bunshin technique. One last thing that she wanted Naruto to learn was the order of elements. As soon as he unleashed the **Daitoppa** technique on Anko, she used the grand fireball technique back at him. The fire technique was fueled by the wind technique and increased its size while maintaining his course at Naruto.

"Naruto, you've did great. Now, can you tell me why my technique overcame yours?"

"Is it because you are stronger than me?"

"Obviously true, but that's not the reason. In order to fight using elemental ninjutsu, you must know which element is stronger than which. Therefore, when you face someone with a stronger element than yours, you can use other attacks. Remember the sequence. Fire beats wind. Wind beats Lightning. Lighting beats Earth. Earth beats Water. Water beats Fire. If you realize that, you will know if you have the advantage in element or not. Plus, being a wind user, means your body is more vulnerable to fire attacks, this is important, so you must understand. If, for instance, you fight against Sasuke or any enemy with fire as his main element, don't try to block or use wind attacks, you'll just increase your odds of defeat and even, your death. Do you understand?"

When Anko used the word death, Naruto understood the importance of knowing. He took a while, but he understood. The sequence was easy to memorize and the same concept applied to his body, so he understood.

"I understand Anko-sensei, just watch out for fire users and I will be fine."

"Fire is your worst enemy indeed, but do watch out for other elements as well. They may not deal as much damage as fire, but they do cause damage nonetheless. Now, I believe it's high time you earned yourself a bigger break of two days. You can thank your kage bunshins for that. However, I expect you to return here at 0800 hours for a small recap of things, before we proceed with the information gathering department. You can do whatever you want, brat. Just don't over exert yourself too much." Naruto bowed to his sensei, before walking towards the village. His clothes were a mess and it would be better if he simply threw it away. Anko wished the boy would get over it and appear inside a ninja clothing store, but she wouldn't push him to do it. After all, it would be quite hypocritical of her to say bad things about his taste in clothing.

With the rest of the time free, she supposed it was high time she focused on her hobby…torturing criminals.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

As the blond walked throughout the village towards his apartment, he was receiving all kinds of stares. He didn't know that they were staring at his clothes, or rather the lack of it, so he just ignored them as he reached his apartment. Once inside, Naruto went for a quick shower in order to clean some of the bruises and sweat gathered from three weeks of never ending training. He threw his clothes on the garbage, after placing his sword on top of his bed, and frowned since he knew that that was his last piece of clothing available. Right now, the only one he had to wear was a clean pair of black pants and an orange t-shirt. The reason he used the orange jumpsuit so much was because it was his first gift ever, supplied by the Sandaime. Naruto remembered the day, because it was the happiest day of his life.

Now, it was all ruined. Even if it was for a good cause, Naruto still felt remorse for losing everything.

Looking outside, Naruto realized that he just couldn't go through with the exams without a proper outfit. The one he had wasn't damage resilient. Releasing a long sigh, Naruto grabbed his toad looking wallet and took his gathered money inside one of the pockets and left his apartment towards a nice store where he could purchase some new clothes. As he walked, he realized that he had two major problems. One, he knew that many stores wouldn't sell anything to him because of the damn fox. The second reason was his lack of knowledge on what clothes to buy. He knew he liked the color orange, but aside from that, he didn't know much else. He needed assistance in that regard, however he didn't know anyone who could help him. Sakura would be a considerable choice, but Naruto didn't feel like looking the entire village for her. Unfortunately, he was stuck with the choice of going inside store after store until someone decides to attend him with the regular prices.

When he left the fourth store, the blond was already giving up, actually thinking about asking Anko when he returned from his vacation. He was walking back to his apartment when he noticed a smaller shop located on his right. Naruto could remember every single shop he had been to in Konoha, but he never entered this one.

Who knows, maybe, the owner doesn't treat him like crap.

As soon as he entered, he saw that the store was practically empty of customers. However, it was quite packed with ninja tools and clothing. Looking around a bit, Naruto stopped once he found the cashier's table with a person snoring. He didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, because of the hair. As he approached the attendant's position, he saw the Chinese style dress and instantly remembered her from the Chunnin Exams. Now, what was her name again? It started with a T and he was quite sure an E and an N followed. Ten…something. He scratched his head in order to remember, but he did eventually.

"Tenten…" Said girl slowly opened her eyes, a little bit perturbed that someone awoke her.

She was about to scream at her father for rudely awakening her, when she remembered that the voice didn't belong to him. With her sight coming back, she could see that kid Naruto staring at her. But he was wearing something different.

"Ah…it's you Naruto. Ah, what's with the change in clothes, last time I saw you, you were wearing that hideous jumpsuit." Naruto wasn't thrilled to hear Tenten's comments about his clothes, but he ignored it.

"Ah yes, I ruined it training. Do you work here, Tenten?" The rather dumb question could be easily as just as rudely answered by Tenten, but she figured that Naruto was here as a customer, instead of looking for her.

"Yes, I do. This is my father's shop."

Naruto, upon hearing that, knew that he hit the jackpot! Tenten wouldn't treat him badly and wouldn't overprice him, because she didn't know about his status as a jinchuuriki.

"Cool, ah I was hoping that I could find some new clothes for me, could you help me choose?"

Tenten let out a big yawn at the prospect of helping someone to choose an outfit from scratch, but a customer was a customer.

"Sure I can help you. What colors are you thinking about using?" She visibly sighed once Naruto stopped and begin to think about his choice for color. It was getting pretty late and he came in here without even thinking what he wanted in the first place.

"Well, I always enjoyed the color orange, but it doesn't need to be the central color, right? Maybe black or dark blue with some orange aspects would be nice. Do you have something like that? Also, I'm not that interested in long sleeves anymore, so pants and a t-shirt is fine." Tenten sighed once more, but went towards the clothes department to select some items according to Naruto's preference. She actually was hoping that he didn't choose orange as his main color, because first it wouldn't be ninja like and second, she would have to turn him down, because quite certainly, her father wouldn't even consider using orange for his items. Now, if the choosing was left for her, she would go for black instead of blue. It mingled better with the ninja's shadow, as far as stealth was concerned. After selecting both more black than blue outfits, she showed them to Naruto, who then began to observe the items.

"Well, I guess from your picks, you think that black is more suited, huh Tenten." She would respond with a 'duh' but she just nodded and explained.

"Black is more suitable for stealth and you already had orange and dark blue combination. Here...this combination is nice, plus the fabric is resilient to physical damage and even kunais or shurikens." Naruto did concur with Tenten's assessment as the combination was quite interesting. It consisted of black Anbu style pants with some orange stripes located on the thighs region, followed by a black polo shirt with small orange lines on the stomach. It had a zipper instead of buttons. Tenten even complemented the outfit with some fishnet clothing to go under the polo shirt and a pair of black sandals, to which Naruto concurred as well.

"Ah, I liked it Tenten, could you perhaps engrave an orange spiral seal on the shirt's back?" Tenten nodded and started taking Naruto's measurements for the clothes' manufacturing. She only had a showroom, not a stock of piled clothes.

"How many do you want Naruto?" The blond looked at her and then took the money he saved from his missions.

"How many can I afford with this much? Two, three…" Tenten frowned at the blond's lack of tact as far as business was concerned, but counted the money anyway. Naruto was expecting to buy at least two, because that's the price that everyone charged him. When Tenten told him a much higher number, he thought she was on crack or something. Seven sets in other shops would cost at least three times his saved amount. The surprise only took about two seconds, before he realized that Tenten's shop was perhaps the only one, besides the ramen shop, which didn't overprice him. "Uh, I only need three for now, thanks Tenten."

"Well, you have money for more if you wish. Perhaps a nice set of kunais and shurikens? We just received a new shipment and they are top notch. I can give you one set of each and you still have change." Now, Naruto was hallucinating. But like before, Tenten's shop sold him the regular price just like all the other shops would, if he wasn't who he was. Naruto accepted the new sets and gave Tenten the amount needed for the purchase.

"You can come back in about two days, Naruto. Everything will be ready by then. Here is your receipt."

Naruto never knew it would be this easy as he left the store with a huge smile on his face. Perhaps, he found the store he was looking for all along.

* * *

**===Two days later===**

When his little vacation was over, Naruto was up and ready at seven o' clock as he casually walked through the empty streets of Konohagakure. The precious few that enjoyed early mornings were there as well with him, but for some reason, none of them spared him any glances, which was surprising, seeing as two days ago, these very civilians shot glares at him back then. He wondered if they didn't recognize him because of the new clothes and if that was true, then perhaps the orange jumpsuit was a dead giveaway. Nevertheless, it wasn't something to dwell on as right now, he was supposed to finish his training under Anko-sensei. As he walked towards the training ground, Naruto wondered what would happen to him, if Anko wasn't around.

The woman had the most sadistic personality he'd ever seen, but he couldn't deny how much she helped him to improve.

Perhaps, if someone else was to tutor him for the exams, Naruto wouldn't be as prepared as he was now. Taking his growth rate into consideration, the genin imagined how much stronger he would be if Anko was there since he graduated from the academy. He didn't have anything against Kakashi-sensei, but on occasions, the man was too damn lazy for his liking, often choosing to let his team train on their own, instead of actually training them. Such way of training may work on Sasuke and Sakura, because they had a nice basis of the shinobi world, either by clan knowledge or simple book smarts. Naruto wasn't like them. He only learned through practice. He preferred Anko's way of doing things easily. Too bad the woman wouldn't be around after the exams, though.

Naruto arrived at the training ground in half an hour, hence he had another half an hour until Anko arrived. Or so he thought as a great load of snakes appeared out of nowhere and attacked him.

Sighing in dismay, Naruto grabbed his kodashi and, focusing wind chakra through it, sliced the snakes in multiple pieces, before jumping to the side as Anko appeared behind him with a kunai ready to impale him. Naruto didn't create much distance between her, though, which allowed him to engage against his sensei using his sword. Anko wasn't stupid to parry her kunai with Naruto's wind chakra kodashi, hence why she used a simple kawarimi when Naruto attacked her. She appeared twenty meters to his right side, before going through hand seals.

_**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu**_ (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)

Quickly summoning ten kage bunshins, Naruto used a kawarimi with the furthest clone and sent the others to attack. He remained behind while the bunshins dealt with Anko, or rather Anko dealt with the bunshins. After seeing the direction she was moving to attack, he threw a couple of shurikens at the position Anko was going to be. The woman was about to deflect the projectiles, when she saw her mistake. As soon as she grabbed the kunai to deflect them, she saw the genin making some hand seals.

_**Fuuton Reppushou**_ (Wind Release: Gale Wind Palm Technique)

The shurikens received the extra speed with grace as both of them impaled Anko right on her chest. Her body was replaced with mud. He stood his ground, waiting for the attack to come, but no one ever came. He turned and saw his sensei sitting on a gigantic stone eating some dango for breakfast. Naruto could see that the woman was enjoying every second of her favorite dish. Too bad she wasn't introduced to the world's best food, ramen. He slowly walked towards his sensei, a little bit perturbed about the fact that she was declaring her love to the food as it was part of a ritual. However, he realized that he did the same thing with his favorite dish.

"That's the welcome I receive, Anko-sensei? I was thirty minutes early for the meeting."

The woman smiled sweetly at the kid, before finishing her last piece of dango. Afterward, she jumped from the rock and stood right in front of her student.

"Wow brat, I would never think you'd change your wardrobe so drastically. What happened?"

Naruto just looked at her as if she didn't remember that it was she who destroyed every cloth he possessed.

"I lost all of them in training, remember. So I went into this shop two days ago and bought these, pretty cool huh? The black arm braces were my idea."

Naruto bought them when he returned to the store yesterday to pick up his clothes.

Anko smiled and decided to check the boy over from head to toe. She took a while to size him up from the front, before turning to the back. She knew that the boy enjoyed the color orange and while it wasn't the best of color to a ninja, he managed to pick a nice outfit. It was an extreme improvement from before, seeing as Naruto's old clothes wasn't considered ninja like at all. Also, like he said, the arm braces were a nice touch, especially considering that they could very well be used against Naruto's first opponent. When a Hyuuga used their jyuuken, one touch from them and the opponent was dealt with. With the arm braces, Naruto could use them to block the jyuuken strikes.

"Nice to see you using your brain, kid; indeed it's a nice outfit, although I'm pretty sure it wasn't you who picked it." Naruto frowned at the woman, which earned a couple seconds of laughter from Anko. "Now, enough of that, I chose to test you that way to see your reflexes, which was good. You can never walk in anywhere and don't expect retaliation. Now, on this last week, like I said, we'll be covering the information on your opponents. However, I decided to add something else. The last one of the shinobi arts, which I know you suck at, genjutsu or rather how to detect and dispel one."

Despite the obvious jab to his skills, Naruto approved. It was his biggest weakness after all.

"Now, take a seat and tell me about what do you know about Neji."

* * *

**Author Note**

I wasn't interested in going through the details of all the competition, nor was I that much into detailing Naruto's experience in genjutsu.

Just take into consideration that he is better prepared for the exams.

Next chapter, the exams will begin and Jiraiya will arrive, and take a look at both of Naruto's seals. How will the Hokage react once Naruto tells him everything that happened at the Forest of Death, including his conversation with the fox?

See ya next chapter.


	4. Chunnin Tournament

**Author Note**

Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Accursed Brothers.

Once again, I don't have much to say, except the fact that I have great expectations for this story. One concept that I never thought to explore was the possibility of Naruto playing a major role in Sasuke's life. If Sasuke is constantly tested against a stronger foe, then chances are he changes his mindset towards joining Orochimaru for power. This is not to say that Sasuke will reject Orochimaru's offer for power right away or not. If both Sasuke and Naruto grow up training together, each forcing the other to improve, like Kakashi intended all the time, then the series will be much more enjoyable, at least for me that is. I'm sure others would as well. It's just a theory, which will be exploited in this fiction.

Now, I'll take some time and respond to the reviews.

* * *

**O Jordinio O** – You're assuming that everything will happen accordingly to the real story. Remember, this is fan fiction. Who's to say that Naruto will even face Gaara at the invasion? I don't understand why Kishimoto placed a genin against a tailed beast, even if Naruto was a jinchuuriki as well. In my opinion, Naruto would be much better facing a chunnin group or even a jounin inside the city. As to the toad contract, who ever told you that he won't sign it. Training with Anko, in my opinion, though, it's much more effective than learning water walking and how to summon toads from Jiraiya, like it happened for real. He didn't even bother to use the summon against Neji.

* * *

And that's it for the reviews. Yeah, for some reason, chapter 3 didn't receive the same number of review as the first two chapters.

Now here's chapter 4.

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Chunnin Tournament**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

The entire month of training passed by and Naruto could say he detested only one part of it. Anko found that indeed the blond lacked in the intellectual department a bit as it took a while for him to understand the mechanics of the doujutsu byakugan as well as others' abilities. In the end, though, Anko and Naruto managed to cover a great deal of knowledge of all the combatants, even the ones that Naruto wouldn't likely fight against, considering the results of each fight. Anko, at the end of the training, surmised that Naruto was as ready as he'll ever be for the third phase of the exams. Probably his strongest weakness would be his brashness, this being the only handicap she couldn't cure him of.

With a Hyuuga, attacking without an action plan was considered suicide and, thus, she spent an entire day reminding him of that.

Right now, she couldn't do anything more for him, though. She hoped that the runt would perform well when the time came. One aspect that the judges take into consideration, more than anything, is the strategy. Strength and speed alone was no guarantee of promotion. Anko at least hoped that Naruto remembered that when facing the Hyuuga as well as the others. She knew what happened between her student and Hyuuga Neji at the preliminaries and she was afraid that Naruto would forget everything he learned thus far, choosing to rely on brute force instead of the strategy they came up with, during their conversations. Well, she did what she could given the timeframe, she reasoned. After meeting with the brat for the last time before the exams, she figured it was high time she filled the tank with dango and hot sake.

Naruto, for his part, took his time thanking Anko for her immense help throughout the month, before walking back to his apartment.

He still had two days until the tournament, so he figured he would do nothing for the majority of the day, which was about to turn into night in a few minutes. It took him less than half an hour from the training ground towards his apartment. Quickly opening the door with a yawn, the blond figured that it was high time he took a nice nap. He would have plenty of time to rest his body and restore his chakra capacity. Once he got inside the apartment, though, he sensed that something was wrong. One, he remembered closing the only window in the room once he left and two, the lock didn't take nearly as long as it normally took to open. When he reached the living room, he was surprised to see a man sleeping on his couch. His appearance was kind of weird, Naruto reasoned. Even if the man was sleeping, Naruto wouldn't put it past him not to retaliate. The blond placed his sword inches from the man's neck.

"Oi…who are you and what are you doing sleeping on my couch?" The noise awakened the man, who only opened his right eye and yawned some, before getting up.

"What took you so long to get here, brat? I've been waiting here for you for three hours now." Naruto sweat dropped at the man's accusation. He never even met the old geezer before.

"I don't even know you old geezer and you didn't answer my question." Jiraiya blinked at the blond, before figuring that an introduction was in order.

"I'm Jiraiya of the Sannin, you brat. Huh kid these days, no respect. The reason I'm here is because I'm toescort you to the Hokage's Office. Now come on, I don't have all day." Naruto, despite knowing something about the sannins, didn't express the respect the elder man thought he would receive. Instead, Naruto just grumbled a few incoherent words and went to the bathroom to clean himself a bit. The perverted sannin ended up being amused of the little genin's reaction and stood in the middle of the living room, contemplating everything around him. His sensei, the Sandaime Hokage, shared quite a lot of information with him about Naruto, including the month he trained with the psycho special jounin Mitarashi Anko. What was most impressive was that the brat handled that much time with her. Most Anbus wouldn't last more than ten days. Soon Naruto exited the bathroom and still complaining.

"Ok let's get this over with already. I was about to sleep right now." Jiraiya smirked once more and followed the blond as they travelled through the rooftops towards the Hokage's Office.

* * *

**===With Sasuke===**

Going through hand seals, Uchiha Sasuke began focusing lightning chakra through his right hand as he looked at his target, a considerably sized rock with a giant hole in the middle. He was sweating profusely, because of the amount of control needed for this ultimate technique, his sensei's creation. The Chidori was Sasuke's last item to cover throughout the one month of training. Kakashi was a few meters to his right and simply observed his student. Sasuke came a long way in terms of taijutsu, agility and ninjutsu. He did inherit his clan's genius as it didn't take him more than ten minutes to learn a new jutsu and incorporate it to his strategy.

Of course, the Sharingan had a lot to do with that. Kakashi wasn't against the idea of Sasuke using his eyes to learn as he had one as well.

It's not to say that Sasuke kept learning one ninjutsu after another. He asked Kakashi to teach him only lightning based jutsus as it was his other affinity along with fire. Aside from ninjutsu, Sasuke sparred a lot with Kakashi, both with and without his Sharingan. Kakashi, not once, needed to use his Sharingan, but that didn't mean that Sasuke's skill didn't improve. It just meant to prove that Kakashi wouldn't need to use it against a genin, even if it's an Uchiha. Right now, Sasuke managed to collect the required energy and concentration for the Chidori and charged at the rock with impressive speed, before carving a similar hole next to the other one.

The boy kneeled on the ground soon afterward, panting.

"It appears that two is your limit, huh Sasuke?" Kakashi said, earning a nod from the Uchiha. "At least without the cursed seal, that is".

Kakashi admitted not enjoying the time when Sasuke trained with the cursed seal. It gave the Uchiha more power, more chakra and more speed, but it wasn't natural in his book. He hoped that the Hokage knew what he was doing, letting Sasuke use the cursed seal. The Uchiha just took a seat where he stood. Today was his last day as well and he figured that he was ready for the exams. Sabaku no Gaara was a strong foe from what he saw at the preliminaries, but he believed that his speed was enough to overcome that ultimate defense of his. After defeating Gaara, his next opponent would be the winner of the first fight between Naruto and Hyuuga Neji. It has been an entire month since Sasuke last saw his teammate and he actually wondered how much stronger the dobe became, under that woman's guidance. Kakashi told him that he paid a visit to Naruto once and saw him almost beaten to death. When questioned about it, Kakashi briefly explained Anko's methods and how it probably was more effective to Naruto then a teacher boring him with long theories.

Sasuke ended up agreeing with said logic as he knew Naruto would be bored with any sort of explanation that took longer than thirty seconds.

"So it appears that our time is up, huh?" Sasuke said, earning a nod from Kakashi. It also worked well, since Kakashi had an appointment with the Hokage.

He wasn't bothered by the fact that the meeting had started half an hour ago.

* * *

**===At the Hokage's Office===**

Inside the Hokage's office, three individuals were seriously considering what would happen if Kakashi were to suddenly disappear for a while. All three of them considered different type of tortures for the scarecrow jounin. Well, two of them, because Naruto actually settled for a nice nap on the ground, instead. He was pretty tired upon arriving home and knowing his sensei, he realized that it would take at least another hour for him to show up. Suddenly, a smoke appeared in the room, waking Naruto up. First he was dragged to this meeting, only later being informed that nothing would happen until Kakashi arrived, which would be close to two hours from now. Naruto even tried sleeping and Kakashi once more took that away from him by showing up only half an hour late, instead of the usual two hours.

"Yo…sorry I was late. Sasuke decided to play with poison and had to be taken to the hospital for the cure."

No one emitted a single noise in the room and it was clear that no one believed that to be true.

"Using your students as an excuse was low Kakashi, really low." The Hokage surmised as he had yet to hear this type of excuse from Kakashi.

Kakashi merely smiled at that, before the meeting started. It actually took a while for Hiruzen, Jiraiya and Naruto to stop picturing a nice session of torture for the jounin. After that was done, the three eldest in the room started discussing some trivial things about the village's security and Naruto just kept listening with plain boredom. His eyes were almost shutting once more as he couldn't believe that someone would drag him into a meeting he wouldn't even be a part of. Suddenly, though, his patience was at an end. He wanted to sleep god damn it, not listen to them talking between each other.

"Excuse me Hokage-jiji, but can I go now? I don't know why I was summoned here." Naruto said, earning the attention of everyone in the room.

"Ah my apologies Naruto. No, you can't go, I'm afraid. We just want to know one thing from you" Naruto nodded, ushering the Hokage to continue. "It has come to my knowledge that something happened between you and Orochimaru at the second stage of the Chunnin Exams. I only wish to know why you haven't approached me showing the red seal imprinted on your neck?" Naruto looked around nervously to the three elder individuals and sighed, wondering how they figured it out. Perhaps, Anko spotted it and told them about it. He figured that telling any other story besides the truth wouldn't help ease the situation, so he told everything, beginning from the part when he was bitten as well as the conversation he had with the fox. Along the way, all three were surprised upon hearing that it was due to Kyuubi's interference, that the seal became red instead of the usual black color.

When he finished the explanation, he realized that their faces changed from the beginning of the meeting. He was screwed and he knew it. Even the Hokage was showing an angered face he had never seen before. Truth be told, the Hokage wasn't mad at Naruto, except the fact that the genin didn't consider reporting this incident. Whom he was truly mad at was his ex-student as well as the damn beast that resided within Naruto's stomach. One gave the other more juice to pump in Naruto's chakra supply. Too much power could bring unforeseen consequences and for what? An empty desire for revenge, perhaps. As far as the fox was concerned, it wanting more power was no shock to the old Hokage. It's not like the beast ever changed its mind set. Now, he would have to deal with this threat accordingly, if not both Naruto and Sasuke could become trouble for Konohagakure. Quickly producing his pipe, the Hokage gave a few puffs, before looking at the blond.

"First of all, Naruto, the only reason I'm mad with you was the fact that you hadn't told me or anyone about what happened; besides that, nothing more. I will extend the same courtesy that Sasuke received and allow you to use the cursed seal. However, you must use this power to protect the village or your comrades, never for personal gains." Naruto kept looking at the old man for a while, before smiling.

"Don't sweat it Hokage-jiji. I don't enjoy using it as I told the damn fur ball. I will only resort to it if necessary. You have my word." The Hokage smiled, before turning to Jiraiya.

"Naruto, as you've been properly introduced, this is Jiraiya, a member of the Sannin and our village's most skilled seal master. I called him here so that he could take a look at your other seal."

The blond nodded, before he was asked to lift his shirt and focus a bit of chakra.

Jiraiya kneeled in front of him and analyzed the seal that was responsible for keeping the fox caged. He started emitting a grave noise as if he had found something that picked his interest. Naruto saw it and immediately became preoccupied. He immediately asked what was wrong, but Jiraiya just continued with the same noise as before, looking at the brat's face and then looking back at the seal before emitting the same noise one more time. By now, Naruto was starting to picture the worst case scenario based on Jiraiya's answers or lack thereof. Suddenly, the perverted sannin got up and with a huge smile on his face, announced his verdict.

"Nothing wrong brat, the seal is as good as it always has been." All of them ignored Naruto who was screaming obscenities at the sannin for worrying him. "Now, I was meaning to ask you something brat, care to join me for some ramen."

The word managed to quiet the kid down and he eagerly nodded, before both left the office towards the best ramen place in Konoha.

* * *

**===At Ichiraku's===**

"Say Naruto…" Asked Jiraiya as he watched the blond finish his fourth bowl and begin the fifth. "Do you feel prepared for the Chunnin Tournament in two days?"

"You bet ya. Anko-sensei has taught me a lot and I will kick everyone's ass, believe it!" Naruto even punched the air, before resuming the task of finishing bowl after bowl of ramen.

"I can see that…and did she ever mention anything about summons to you?" Jiraiya asked, before Naruto showed his long thinking pose. "I guess not. Well, I'd like to show you something. Are you…finished?" The pervert couldn't take his eyes off the pile of bowls that rested in front of him. It had to be the Kyuubi somehow. No human being could eat twenty bowls of ramen like that. The perverted now understood why the owners of the tent were so happy to see Naruto. With him alone, they could sell an entire day's worth of meals and earn a great profit. Quickly paying the bill, he and Naruto left, towards one of the training grounds. None of them turned to see Teuchi and Ayame grinning from ear to ear at the fact that they've actually sold the equivalent of an entire week's supply of their product.

* * *

**===One of the training grounds===**

After a bit of walking, Naruto and Jiraiya stopped near a small water stream, which happened to be one of Konoha's many training grounds.

"Ok brat. Now that we're here, I want to talk to you about a jutsu called _**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**_ (Summoning Technique)." To Naruto's confused face, Jiraiya began the explanation. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu is a space-time ninjutsu that allows a ninja to call upon animals to fight with him or her. A few things are required for such technique, such as a great amount of chakra, a signed contract and a few drops of blood. Here, let me show you what it is." Jiraiya said, before biting his thumb and moving his hands to form the needed hand seals. He, then, slammed his hand on the ground, before smoke surrounded him and Naruto. Suddenly, right in front of Naruto, appeared a horse sized toad and Jiraiya was seating on top of it. "I, for instance, have a contract with the Toads and I can call upon them to aid me if need arises. Would you like to summon them as well, kid?" Naruto looked at the toad in front of him and started drooling for a while, at the prospect of being able to do something like that.

However, something in his mind clicked and he remembered Anko's teachings.

"Why are you giving me this jutsu just like that? We've only met like two hours ago?" Jiraiya was obviously surprised by the suspicious question. Surely, he thought that the kid would be ecstatic to learn new stuff.

He guessed that Anko must have drilled some important knowledge in his head.

"It is considered a great honor kid, to be able to summon the toads. The Hokage felt it was wise to give it to you and I concur with him. He asked me this favor and I intend to honor it. Now, before anything, you'll have to sign your name into this contract." As soon as the words left Jiraiya's mouth, the toad extended his tongue towards Naruto and handled him the contract. While the blond was studying the scroll a bit, Jiraiya smiled seeing as Naruto stopped asking questions about why he was being allowed to sign the toad contract, one which was only signed by two people so far. And he never said which Hokage asked him, so Naruto must have thought it was the Sandaime.

As soon as Naruto opened the scroll, he saw only two names written and opened his eyes wide at the mention of the second name. The Yondaime Hokage was his hero and role model ever since he started the academy and now he would learn a technique that was used by him as well. Biting his thumb, Naruto wrote his name on the third column next to the Yondaime's name, before the scroll wrapped itself and was collected by the toad, which then vanished in thin air. Jiraiya, then, approached Naruto's position and quickly taught him the hand seals needed for the jutsu. To his great surprise, Naruto caught the sequence quite quick and gave his first try. As soon as he slammed the hand on the ground, he saw the gathered smoke and smiled in anticipation. To Jiraiya's shocked expression, appeared a battle toad the same size as the red one which appeared with the contract. This toad had black samurai armor and two swords strapped on his back. If his smile – or lack thereof – was any indication, the toad wasn't friendly. The toad in question looked around and spotted Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sama, what can I do to assist? My name is Gamatsurugi." The perverted sannin placed both hands on each side of his waist and smiled.

"Nice to meet you Gamatsurugi-san, but it wasn't me who summoned you. It was the blond kid behind you." The toad in question turned and looked at the brat who was looking at him.

It took a couple of seconds to realize that the kid was actually looking at his swords.

"So, I gather that you are the toad's new summoner, then. And you appreciate my swords. I must say yours is impressive as well, kid. I always enjoy a nice kenjutsu practice and I believe this is a good test as any." Gamatsurugi took one of his swords and waited for Naruto to take his. "Normally, the test would be conducted by Gamabunta-sama, but I believe myself to be worthy enough of said honor as well. If you manage to hold your own in a battle against me kid, then you have the right to summon our kind any time." Naruto nodded and with a smile, he grabbed his kodashi and held it in a reverse grip in front of him, just like Anko had instructed. Jiraiya kneeled on the ground a few meters away from the two as he looked at the blond. Jiraiya could see that Anko's training bore great fruits if Naruto's determination eyes were any indication. Also, from Naruto's file, brashness was one of his characteristics. Therefore, he was surprised to see that the kid was standing there studying his opponent instead of attacking right away.

The toad nodded at Naruto's focus and decided to attack first. Even if the kid had fire in his eyes, the toad was considered the most skilled swordfighter of his homeland. There was no way the kid could hold on. Using his speed, Gamatsurugi appeared in front of Naruto and swung his sword aiming Naruto's shoulder. The noise of metal clashing with metal surprised everyone and the two stood in the middle of the clearing clenching swords. Jiraiya could see a blue glow surrounding Naruto's weapon and he realized with a smile that the kid was using wind chakra to strengthen the sword. Loosening his grip a bit and allowing the toad to lose his balance, Naruto appeared from the side and aimed a precise strike, which was blocked by the toad, before it attempted a fierce kick at the genin. Naruto used a quick karawimi and appeared on the other side, aiming another strike against the toad. Gamatsurugi managed to parry once more, before aiming another attack on Naruto. This one merely sliced a couple of hair as Naruto ducked and managed to strike the toad using the back of his sword's hilt. Not wanting to relent, Naruto charged the toad with his wind infused weapon and swung his sword with all his strength. The toad saw the move and managed to parry the technique, albeit barely. The strength of the attack forced him to back off a bit.

Jiraiya never ceased to smile as he observed Naruto's prowess with the sword in such a small time frame. He wondered what approach was used by Anko to achieve such great results.

"You're good and all kid, but now it seems I must increase the pace." The toad said, before grabbing the second sword. Naruto immediately paled at the prospect of being killed here. So far, he only managed a few hits here and there. His opponent was much stronger with just one sword. Two, now, would be suicide. Nevertheless, he stood there facing the toad, expecting the move. He would have to resort to other skills aside from swords. As soon as Gamatsurugi made his move, Naruto threw his sword in the air and began a quick series of hand seals, surprising Jiraiya. He gathered a great load of air inside his lungs.

_**Fuuton Daitoppa **__(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique)_

Before the toad could come within inches from Naruto, the boy unleashed a powerful gust of wind that sent the toad flying a great distance away. Besides this, the technique was laced with cutting chakra, so the toad's body was severely hurt. Despite that, the toad smiled as he got up and placed both swords on its back once more. It appeared in front of the blond and landed on of its hands on top of his shoulder. The toad didn't need to say anything as Naruto clearly passed the test. It merely nodded, before vanishing in smoke, surprising Naruto who then turned to Jiraiya for questioning.

"He only had the chakra you supplied him with. Once that chakra runs out, he can't sustain the link and therefore has to go back to his realm. Nevertheless, you did good kid. Go get some rest for the tournament."

The blond smirked, before he said goodbye to the pervert. Jiraiya looked at the kid's back with a smile on his face. At first, he figured that it would be prudent to help Naruto more for the exams. Circumstances arose that interrupted that initial plan. After all, it's not every day he uncovers the existence of an organization out there that is after the nine tailed beasts, including the one that resides inside Naruto. Their members were unknown at this point, but his sources told that all of them were S-ranked criminals. If one of them was to come after the genin, Naruto wouldn't know how to defend himself. This meant that the kid must be trained and by someone who can uncover his full potential. Mitarashi Anko's methods were brutal, Jiraiya remembered. She must have beaten the kid many times until he understood what Anko was trying to teach. However, Jiraiya knew ways around that, in order to further achieve Naruto's untapped potential.

And he wasn't thinking of the cursed seal.

* * *

**===Tournament day===**

Two days passed in a blur for Konoha as the date of the last phase of the chunnin exams arrived. The entire village was ecstatic and lots of merchants and tourists flooded the streets. Unfortunately, the boom in the village's economy comes with a bigger risk. With this many, it becomes rather difficult to provide the same level of security. Anbus were doing everything they could to scout the entire region after probable schemes from outside sources. The stadium in which would soon host the chunnin tournament was slowly being filled with all kinds of people. From simple tourists to Daimyos, to low level genins to high ranking jounin officers, everyone came to see a splendid show. The most anticipated was no doubt the first Uchiha ever to appear since the clan's massacre a long time ago. Uchiha Sasuke was considered the safest bet there was with Hyuuga Neji coming in close second.

The chunnin hopefuls were already aligned in front of the host Shiranui Genma, a special jounin that used a bandana to hold his hair and had a senbon on his mouth.

All the genins' attention turned to Naruto, though, as he appeared wearing different clothes as well as the sword strapped on his back. His posture did change a bit from one month ago. Sasuke kept looking at his partner, wondering about the change in appearance. He wondered about the changes that weren't visible, his skills of the ninja arts. The sword on his back indicates that the dobe has been practicing kenjutsu. However, one month alone of practice with it couldn't be counted as an advantage. Sasuke was tempted to use his Sharingan and take a closer look at Naruto's chakra, but in doing that, he would be violating the rules. It took half an hour for the crowd to fill the seats and for the Hokage to annunciate the beginning of the tournament. By the Sandaime's side, were his two bodyguards as well as the Kazekage who accepted the invitation to attend the exams next to the Hokage.

Genma nodded at the Hokage and issued all the genins to leave the area, except for Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji.

Neji, as usual, was showing his confident – baring smug – attitude at Naruto, while the blond looked at Neji promising to deliver the punishment like he said before. Naruto remembered Anko's words about emotions in the middle of direct combat. She explained it to him constantly that by no means could he charge against a Hyuuga face to face in direct combat. In other words, standing within inches from his opponent, was sure defeat. Naruto wouldn't have that and created some space between them, while waiting for the proctor to start the battle. Of course, it didn't mean that Neji wouldn't use a few words here and then.

"You should forfeit right now. You may have changed your clothes, but you're still a failure." Neji even widen his smirk as to show that Naruto was too much beneath him.

"I promised I would beat you and I do intend to fulfill it. I've trained long and hard to get here and I'm not going to back away, just because my opponent's ego is bigger than the Hokage Monument."

Naruto got into fighting position, earning a slight mocking laughter from Neji, before he also got into position. Genma looked at one another, before issuing the fight to begin. Neji charged with his speed and his Byakugan on as he already pinpointed Naruto's tenketsus. As soon as Neji arrived within inches from Naruto's position, he aimed at the one of them, but was surprised when Naruto managed to block the strikes by blocking his wrists. Neji increased the pace of his strikes, but Naruto managed to follow him, while maintaining a safe distance. As soon as he managed to block one last strike, Naruto placed one step forward and disrupted Neji's guard, before landing a powerful punch on Neji's face, surprising everyone. Naruto understood what Anko was trying to tell him about the Jyuuken style of fighting. The blond wasn't about to wait for another attack and summoned three kage bunshins to attack, while he remained behind. The bunshins immediately charged and Neji used his agility to try and take care of them. To his surprise, though, the team of bunshins fought with deadly proficiency and each managed to cover the other. So when Neji moved to strike one, he had to back off, because another would move from behind and attack.

His Byakugan kept close attention at all four Narutos, even the one that stood at the back doing nothing. He gritted his teeth in annoyance at this loser, before quickening the pace and dealing with all three at the same time. His smirk didn't last long as an entire barrage of shurikens came charging at him with impressive speed. Neji managed to dodge the projectiles, but snarled once he felt one of them slice his face a little bit, causing a small line of blood to appear. Naruto smirked and pulled more shurikens from his pouch, before throwing them at Neji. The Hyuuga managed to see them with the Byakugan and was about to dodge, when he saw Naruto doing hand seals. Everyone became surprised at seeing Naruto performing an elemental jutsu.

_**Fuuton Reppushou **__(Wind Release: Gale Wind Palm Technique)_

The projectiles received the extra push and increased their speed. Neji couldn't keep up and the projectiles were approaching fast. He was hoping not to use this technique until later on, but the damn loser was pushing his buttons a lot. Neji begin to spin his body rapidly and focusing chakra throughout all his tenketsus at the same time, earning shocked looks from the Hyuuga Clan's main branch, because that move happens to be from them. Neji managed to create a dome of blue chakra that was capable of deflecting the shurikens, even with the aid of wind chakra. Naruto sure was surprised, since he didn't know about that ability.

"You see now how much of a failure you are compared to me." Neji said with a smirk on his face, but he was slightly bothered by the fact that Naruto was smiling as well.

"That was a neat trick, Neji. But it's merely defensive. So far, you haven't even landed one hit on me whereas I managed to draw your precious blood."

The entire stadium was dead silent as everyone was focused on the battle. So far, Naruto's growth was the most surprising, considering that a month ago, he could barely do anything right. Now, here he was holding his own against a genin more experienced and who was nominated rookie of the last year one year ago. Neji, for his part, couldn't admit it out loud, but Naruto was right. So far, the only one with a clear hit was the failure. Neji smirked, though. Naruto may have improved in skills lately, but at the distance he was in, there was no doubt in Neji's mind that he would win this match with his next move.

"This is when our fight ends; you are within my field of divination." Naruto looked surprised because he didn't know what was going on. He wasn't about to stay still, though, that's for sure.

As soon as Neji vanished in order to begin his deadly technique, Naruto finished a couple of hand seals needed to replace himself with one of the shurikens that he threw at Neji. When the Hyuuga landed the first two strikes, he was shocked to see Naruto's body vanishing and a shuriken appeared. The Hyuuga's Byakugan spotted Naruto already finishing a sequence of hand seals, before gathering air inside his lungs. Naruto blew up a strong torrent of wind straight at Neji, who didn't have time to use his ultimate defense technique and received the full technique. His body was sent flying, while the cutting edge of the technique began its work, giving Neji a great number of wounds. Neji's body was dragged a long distance away, while clenching his teeth at the amount of pain received by the wind technique. Everyone in the stadium looked shocked at such a strong technique. Tenten was one of them as she was sure Naruto wouldn't have a chance against Neji. Anko appeared smiling at the brat's unique usage of kawarimi and sneak attack the enemy. There was no way Neji would get up from that attack and even if he did, his body was so badly hurt.

"It appears that Naruto learned a lot from you, Anko." Kakashi said by her side, which earned a nod from the woman.

"The brat owned the entire match from beginning to finish." Anko commented with a smile on her face, earning nods from Asuma and Kurenai who were sitting close to them.

Asuma smiled seeing as the scroll he gave to Anko helped the kid. He was happy seeing as he had found another wind user in Konoha.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto's new techniques from the genin booth as did Shikamaru and Shino. Naruto certainly surprised everyone.

Back at the arena, Neji slowly got up from the ground as he held his right bleeding arm. His entire body was beaten and covered with bruises. Whatever the failure hit him with, it hurt more than anything he ever felt before. He managed to drag his body close to the center of the arena as he looked at Naruto with his snarling teeth. Genma saw the state Neji's body was in and nodded, seeing as the fight was over. Before he could end it, however, Neji urged him not to by shouting to the proctor. Apparently, the kid received a dirty blow to his pride upon being beaten by someone he considered a failure. Unfortunately, though, in Neji not allowing the battle to end, it also allowed Naruto to move and deliver a strong reverse kick on his chest, which sent him flying once more towards the ground. Unfortunately, Neji's head ended up receiving the first impact and he was unconscious soon afterward, thus not being able to continue.

"Winner of the first match is Uzumaki Naruto." Genma announced, before pointing his hand at the baffled Naruto, who took a long while to understand that he had won the match.

Up on the stands, everyone was contemplating the first round of the chunnin tournament as it happened to be quite a shock to those with conservative ideals. After all, it's not every day that a Hyuuga elite is so easily beaten by someone without any clan history like Naruto. The fact that Naruto was considered a class clown and that he barely graduated the academy contributed to everyone's shock at the moment. The blond went from a barely passable shinobi to chunnin material, in one month's time. Even if he couldn't know about Neji's main house techniques, Naruto had done his homework regarding the Byakugan and the jyuuken, understanding that it only took one opening to end a fight.

That alone gave him a great number of points for promotion.

The genins from Naruto's classroom all gawked at what they saw. Sakura and Ino had doubt if Naruto could beat Neji, hence why none of them even considered the possibility. Chouji and Kiba thought the same way, though they acknowledged Naruto's severe improvement. They couldn't point any wasted move from the blond. And all of them somehow knew that Naruto had yet to show all his skills. From what they saw, Naruto had a sword strapped on his back and he not once bothered to reach it. Furthermore, he didn't use that strange energy sensed at the Forest of Death, which could be considered an easy option for him. The opinion that came from the Kage Booth was mixed. Sandaime Hokage looked at the boy at the arena accepting the cheers from the audience with a smile on his face. He knew that Anko's method of training would do wonders for the boy. The Kazekage, though, couldn't help but smile as his second experiment was getting stronger.

Genma, at the arena, quickly announced the second match and ushered Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara to join him at the arena.

Naruto went quickly to the genin booth as he passed by Sasuke, but not before giving him thumbs up. Sasuke, strangely, returned the greeting with a confident smile and a nod of his head. He said that he would face Naruto next and told the blond to get ready. Naruto nodded, as he watched Sasuke leave the tunnel, before suddenly he felt the offensive aura approach him from behind. One second later, Gaara passed by him with his cold exterior and looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye. The two looked at each other for a while, before Gaara turned his sight towards the end of the tunnel that would lead to the arena and started walking.

"Mother is asking for your blood. After I'm done with the Uchiha, you're next." Naruto was used to strong enemies using the same level of killing intent as Gaara, so he wasn't as fazed as Gaara expected.

Naruto then went up the stairs that would lead to the genin booth. He was confident that Sasuke wouldn't be defeated that easily, even if this guy appeared to be the same as him.

* * *

**===Sasuke x Gaara===**

After Sasuke joined the arena next to Genma, the special jounin waited for the crowd to finish their unbelievably loud and exaggerated cheer for the kid. As the last loyal Uchiha, everyone placed a great load of expectation on the kid. Genma knew that the kid shouldn't bear such burden. The look on his face, though, indicated that he wasn't concerned about the pressure. The clan never before produced poor quality shinobi and Sasuke would be no exception. The only thing needed of him was not to succumb to other's expectation and lead his life as normal as possible. The crowd attended Genma's wish and silenced after a couple of minutes, allowing the special jounin to proceed with the fight.

Looking at both combatants for a while, Genma authorized the fight to commence.

Uchiha Sasuke wasted no time and charged at Gaara with straight taijutsu, through a speed that he didn't possess before. Gaara wasn't fazed though and sent a beam of sand to stop the Uchiha's movement. Sasuke evaded the attack and got into position behind the Sand genin, before aiming a straight punch at Gaara's face, which was blocked by the sand. The sand genin was once again surprised that one more ninja managed to sneak behind him. Sasuke maintained his pressure and left Gaara's back, going forward and landing a fierce kick on Gaara's chest. The sand wasn't fast enough to block it and Gaara was sent flying because of it. Sasuke once more didn't relent and went through hand seals.

_**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu **__(Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)_

The gigantic meteor of fire charged Gaara with impressive speeds, but the sand managed to block the impact. The technique was so hot that it turned the sand into glass. Sasuke charged once more and this time Gaara attacked more aggressively, instead of merely defending himself. Because of this, Sasuke was forced to activate his Sharingan in order to evade the sand projectiles thrown by Gaara. After evading the last of them, Sasuke grabbed a few shurikens of his own and threw them at Gaara. The Sand genin, for his part, just stood there, but the sand lifted a barrier to catch the projectiles. Sasuke saw what would happen from the Sharingan and charged while the sand barrier was transformed into a sand bunshin, a replica of Gaara. Sasuke connected a fierce chop on the bunshin's neck, thus dispelling it, before charging against the original once more. Even if the Uchiha managed to dodge Gaara's sand without the Sharingan, now he could see it in slow motion, evading it and landing a strong punch on Gaara's face, even before he realized Sauske's actual position.

After the blows, Gaara's face began to show cracks, revealing his sand armor. His anger at this was quite evident and Sasuke only smirked at this. It was clear that he was being underestimated by Gaara and that would cost him dearly. Sasuke just remained in his usual position, in order to study his opponent's next moves as well as gather a bit of his stamina back. Moving like that posed great stress on his limbs. Suddenly, though, Sasuke's instinct told him to jump just as a sand beam erupted from the ground, trying to catch his leg. Looking at Gaara, he was momentarily surprised because he couldn't anticipate the movement. He realized, in midair, that the attack came from underneath and he couldn't see it. In mid-air, Sasuke went through hand seals for a new jutsu he had mastered, thanks to Kakashi-sensei.

_**Raiton Rakurai **__(Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Technique)_

Suddenly a small black cloud appeared up in the sky and released a thin lightning towards Gaara, who was caught by surprise. The sand was merely consisted of earth and earth was weak against lightning. Sasuke's technique pierced Gaara's defense like it wasn't there in the first place. Gaara emitted a loud scream as thousands of volts circulated through his body. Suddenly, though, the scream change its tone and it sounded demonic, much to everyone's surprise, including Sasuke as he landed on the ground. Gaara started bleeding and looked at Sasuke with pure rage. His eyes were suddenly transformed as the sand around him began to envelope Gaara in a form of cocoon. Sasuke wouldn't allow that and unleashed another grand fireball technique at Gaara. Sasuke was surprised, though, when he saw that this new barrier not only parried his attack, but also suffered no damage whatsoever.

Looking at the cocoon in front of him, Sasuke realized that he needed something stronger to penetrate it. He doubted that his first raiton jutsu would be as effective and decided to use something else. Normally, he would use this trump card later, seeing as this was his first battle of the tournament. However, the circumstances pretty much demanded it. He gave some space and performed a sequence of three hand seals, before holding his right hand facing up and the left one holding his right wrist. Charging this technique would take some time, but he was confident that he would have it. If not, his Sharingan will warn him beforehand.

Suddenly, before everyone's shocked eyes, an unbearable noise began to fill the arena as Sasuke's right hand started to glow with lightning energy.

Those who recognized the technique looked at the creator for explanation, but the man's gaze was entirely fixed on his student. Kakashi told Sasuke to use this technique only when a comrade was in danger and he understood why the Uchiha was considering it. This Gaara managed to produce a tough defense that only A-ranked jutsus could pierce. Furthermore, no fire jutsu could pierce earth based techniques, so Sasuke's actions are at least understandable. As soon as the technique was finished, Sasuke charged with all the speed he could muster, as it was required of him. Half of the technique relied on the user's speed in order to cause more impact. When Sasuke was inches from Gaara's cocoon, his eyes alerted him to sudden earth spikes that arose and he managed to dodge it, before thrusting his strongest technique inside. The lightning attack managed to pierce the wall and Sasuke heard the noise of flesh being pierced, before smiling.

Gaara emitted another scream, but this time it was completely demonic, which caused the civilian part of the stand to shake in fear. The wound was so deep that Gaara couldn't maintain its hold on the cocoon and thus the sand began to dissolve, showing an injured Gaara. He was holding his injured shoulder, while looking at his opponent. Sasuke was about to charge once more and deal with the fight for good, when a great number of feathers started falling from the sky, surprising both Sasuke and Genma as well as the entire stadium. All ninjas were now prepared for anything as those feathers weren't a part of the Chunnin Tournament.

* * *

**Author Note**

Ah, the beginning of the invasion.

So, what you all think of Naruto and Sasuke's fight?

I'll admit that Sasuke's wasn't much different, though. I've decided not to dwell too much on Naruto and Neji's fight. I'm not interested in writing the same dialogue Kishimoto did or even create a new one for that manner. Naruto isn't the owner of the truth, nor will he be the voice of reason in Neji's life. Neji fans out there don't worry. He is not going to maintain his hatred over the Hyuuga Clan for long, though. Furthermore, I will tell right now that Naruto won't fight against Gaara nor will Sasuke or any of the genins. Said responsibility will be for higher level shinobi. His or her identity, though, will remain a secret for now.

Please review, PM, whatever.

See ya.


	5. Casting the enemies out

**Author Note**

Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Accursed Brothers.

Well, not much to say from last chapter, except that Naruto kicked Neji's ass by incorporating Anko's teachings to his fight. The boy surprised everyone with his skills and he had yet to use his most surprising skill, kenjutsu. All the jounins recognized the increase in skill, including Kakashi. Sasuke's fight was pretty much the same as canon, with minor differences, regarding the use of a fire jutsu and another raiton technique that Kakashi taught him. Now the invasion is under way and there will be many changes from the actual invasion. For instance, there won't be a jinchuuriki battle as I stated last chapter. Naruto's skills will be much more useful in protecting the village. I won't be focusing much on the Hokage's fight, as it will be the same as canon, with one minor difference.

Here is the chapter, enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Casting the enemies out**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

As the feathers fell from the sky, a great number of civilians and inexperienced shinobi fell victim to the wide-area genjutsu and were asleep. Naruto, unfortunately, wasn't able to learn much from Anko in the genjutsu department and was almost closing his eyes when Shino placed his hands on his shoulders, waking him up instantly. His eyes looked at the arena only to see many battles occurring at the audience as well as at the field where Sasuke and Gaara were fighting. He could see that Sasuke and the proctor Genma were side by side as they were facing an injured Gaara flanked by his siblings and a unknown jounin from Sunagakure. Naruto was about to go help Sasuke when he saw the other genins leaving the genin area towards the audience.

"Shino, where are you going?" Naruto stopped the Aburame as he was almost out of the blond genin's sight.

"We are going where our jounin-sensei are now, Naruto. You should too." Shino then left with Naruto quickly in tow. He followed the genins up to the audience, but stopped once five genins from the Sand appeared in front of them. Shino was quick to unleash his bugs and Shikamaru used his shadow to bind the majority of the enemies. They - Shino and Shikamaru - managed to bind four of the chunnins, but the fifth one managed to escape and charged towards the genins with speeds that surprised them. He managed to escape from Shino's bugs as well and was about to inflict some serious damage on them with the use of a kunai. The noise of metal meeting metal alerted both Shino and Shikamaru before they saw Naruto parrying his sword with the genin's kunai. They could see that the sword was glowing with chakra. The two began a match of force, before Naruto placed one step backward and released the grip on his sword a bit. As a result, the enemy lost his balance, allowing the blond to place one step forward and cause a deep slash on the man's stomach.

As soon as Naruto heard the sound of metal slicing flesh, a weird feeling punched him right in the gut. Even if he had chosen an art that is knowingly deadly, Naruto had yet to kill anyone with his sword. His eyes lost their color for a while as he faced the man whose life he had taken away. For a while, he stood there gathering a great deal of thoughts, while Shino and Shikamaru stared at his sword which was now drenched with the man's blood. Shinobis are killing machines, that much was true. But it was completely different between reading that sentence in a book and actually performing the act of killing another human being, even if the man was set on killing his friends.

Eventually, he woke up from his wondering and turned to his comrades. Now just wasn't the time to stop and ponder on his actions.

"Ok, let's go then." Naruto said to both Shino and Shikamaru who could only nod, after seeing the man bleeding to death on the floor. If Naruto felt that kill, he wasn't showing.

* * *

**===With Sasuke===**

Sasuke was livid with the interruption.

He was about to win the battle and fight Naruto next, damn it. He was by Genma's side as they faced the Suna jounin. Gaara had already left the village with his siblings and Genma tried to stop them only for the Suna jounin named Baki to stop him from doing so. Leaving a jinchuuriki free to roam these lands was dangerous, but he couldn't do anything about it. Genma was sure that others would attend to the jinchuuriki in due time. Turning to Sasuke, Genma realized that he would have trouble protecting the Uchiha while facing the jounin at the same time.

"Sasuke, go find your jounin-sensei. I'll cover you." Despite wanting to face a higher level shinobi, Sasuke nodded at the higher ranked officer and left.

Baki wasn't interested in the genin as he managed to stop anyone from following Gaara.

Sasuke was running towards the place where his sensei was busy fighting the enemies. He stopped just as two sound ninjas landed in front of him, forcing him to draw a kunai in defense. His sharingan was activated just as one of them charged. Sasuke managed to block the enemy's kunai with his, before moving faster than him and stabbing the man in the stomach. His sharingan caught the other about to move and unleashed a couple of shuriken at his position, surprising the sound genin. With the two on the ground unconscious, Sasuke managed to reach the stands. Looking to his right, he could see Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino approaching the jounin's position as well. He could see that Naruto was holding his sword and that an enormous energy was circulating through the sword. He couldn't help but smile at this, though, as he wanted to fight the dobe even more now. The jounins stopped as Kakashi dealt with the last enemy for the moment, before all the jounin turned to the last genins.

Sakura, Ino, Chouji and Tenten were already there with the jounins as Kakashi gathered everyone, while the other jounins dealt with the threat of more enemies.

"There are two areas of essence in protecting, so you must form two teams and one will head to the Academy and the other to the Hospital. I won't have much time, so please listen. Naruto, Shino and Ino go grab Neji at the infirmary and head to the Academy. Assist the chunnin instructors there. Sasuke, Shikamaru, Sakura, Tenten and Chouji, you will assist the Hospital. Many medic-nins aren't trained in the field, so they are in more need of assistance. After that, maintain the teams and find a jounin nearby for further assignments. Now go, we'll provide cover." The genins nodded and were about to leave when Anko stopped them after decapitating a sound chunnin.

"Naruto, don't hesitate in killing the enemy. He'll kill you if you do." Sensei and student locked eyes for a second. Anko was able to see the troubled look in Naruto's face and she recognized it instantly.

Plus the bloodstain on his sword was a dead giveaway.

"Ok Anko-sensei." The woman smiled at the boy. She frowned for a second before dodging an incoming attack that would pierce her right shoulder, before engaging in combat once more. By this time, the genins had already left towards their respective assignments. Kakashi couldn't help but notice, though, that during the entire debriefing, Naruto was more focused on Anko than him, his official sensei. Another thing that Kakashi realized while blocking two kunais with just one was that while Anko was quick to catch on the fact that Naruto had his first kill, he wasn't. Kakashi wasn't familiar to the level of bond created throughout this month, but something told him that Anko even if indirectly ended up stealing one of his students.

* * *

**===Naruto's team===**

Naruto, Shino and Ino went quickly towards the infirmary in order to collect their last member. The blond was having his reservations since it was him who sent the Hyuuga there in the first place. The team stopped all of a sudden when a group of sand genins appeared in front of the team. The time between their movements granted both Naruto and Shino ample time to launch their attacks. Shino used her bugs and Naruto unleashed shurikens against the genins of sand. Ino, like Sakura, was in her civilian clothes and didn't have much on her to be of much assistance. Thus, she had to serve more as a support with her clan techniques. Naruto turned to her.

"Ino-chan, do you have any weapon with you?" the girl blushed in embarrassment but said no. She didn't have time to respond, though, as she saw Naruto throwing her his holster.

"Pick up my holster then. You'll need it more than I do." Ino nodded, before the group moved once more.

It didn't take too long before the group arrived at the infirmary before Naruto opened up quickly. Once inside, the three were surprised to see not only Neji but also a man similar in appearance but much older and wearing a white kimono. From the look of things, the genins interrupted a very important conversation. The only one who recognized the only adult in the room was Shino and seeing the lack of words from Naruto and Ino, he took a step forward.

"Excuse me Hiashi-sama, but we need Neji to accompany us towards the Academy in order to protect the students from the invasion."

The young Hyuuga was completely covered with bandages, but otherwise he didn't appear to be suffering from the attacks. Hyuuga Hiashi looked at Aburame Shibi's son Shino for a while, before turning to his nephew.

"Go Neji, we can talk more about it afterward." The elder Hyuuga vanished from the room, not even waiting for his nephew's answer. Neji sighed and narrowed his eyes at the genins. Just seeing Naruto there sent him on edge, but it wasn't time for that right now as the village was under attack. He left from the bed he was sitting on and approached the genin's location. He refused to look directly at Naruto, though, much like the blond expected really.

"Let's go then." With that, the four man team vanished towards the Academy with Naruto up front and Neji last because of the byakugan.

As the blond charged towards the rooftops, he saw a purple barrier being lifted to his right and frowned since the Hokage was in that direction. Whatever it was, though, he was certain that the old man would deal with it quickly. He was the Hokage after all and thus the strongest shinobi in the village. He needed to focus on his current assignment now, instead of worrying over a man who survived two great shinobi wars and had more than fifty years of experience.

* * *

**===Sasuke's team===**

Sasuke, Shikamaru, Sakura, Tenten and Chouji left the arena towards the village hospital. They could see a great number of fights on top of buildings and on the village streets, but they couldn't stop their path otherwise the hospital would be unguarded. Sakura, Tenten and Chouji were on their civilian clothes, but Tenten was the only one that had weapons hidden below her Chinese style dressing. She supplied Sakura and Chouji with weaponry. A group of sound chunnin appeared in front of him, but Sasuke's Sharingan already informed him, even before their actual appearance. Hence why by the time they landed in front of the genins, he was already going through hand seals.

_**Katon Housenka no Jutsu **__(Fire Release: Mythical Phoenix Flower Technique)_

The fireballs reached their destination and supplied the chunnins with third degree burns. Without even stopping, the group of genins charged once more towards the hospital. Sasuke was at the front as per Shikamaru's instruction, seeing as his Sharingan would tell them if the path was clear or not. When the Uchiha stopped and told everyone to stop, it didn't take long for two elder Konoha genins to fly past them and crash inside a sushi restaurant to their left. Luckily to the younger genins, the older ones recovered quickly and attacked the enemies once more. It took them ten minutes to reach the hospital. Once there, Shikamaru quickly devised a defensive perimeter so as to protect the front entrance and the other ones from the right side of the building. Their timing couldn't be more perfect as one minute later, two chunnins from Sand appeared in front of them, wanting to kill the wounded.

Shikamaru sighed and turned to Sakura.

"Sakura, someone needs to check inside to see if the hospital was evacuated. Our station here will have to remain until the hospital is empty." The girl nodded and entered the hospital followed by Chouji.

He had the strength to carry some of the wounded if need be. Tenten and Sasuke took one step forward and Shikamaru remained behind to use his shadow as support.

After Chouji entered the hospital, the remaining genins stood by at the front while Sasuke and Tenten looked at the enemies while guarded in case of their movement. Their plan was simple, yet many things could go wrong. The plan was to keep them occupied and eventually take them near Shikamaru when he could extend his shadow and capture them. Of course, that would only happen if the enemy wasn't aware of Shikamaru's ability with shadows. If they for instance managed to pass through Sasuke and Tenten, then the Nara heir would be the only one standing between the enemy and the hospital entrance. Sasuke and Tenten looked at one another briefly, both understanding that they couldn't make mistakes.

Immediately throwing a great number of shuriken, Tenten and Sasuke charged against the sand chunnin.

The sand chunnin evaded the projectiles easy enough and charged as well with speeds that far outmatched the Konoha genins. Even with the sharingan, Sasuke was having trouble blocking their thrusts and Tenten was defending herself with a long wooden staff. The enemies were easily superior in strength and the genins knew it. Sasuke heard the noise of a kick hitting Tenten's face and snarled as he saw her flying towards Shikamaru's position. He could see that she had spilled a few drops of blood and imagined the strength behind the kick. He couldn't allow them to march towards the hospital. Seeing as Tenten's enemy was behind him and that his enemy was about to hit with a kunai, Sasuke immediately evaded them, using a shunshin. With this, they couldn't dodge in time and one plunged the kunai at the other's chest, wounding him badly. Sasuke appeared by Tenten's side, while Shikamaru used the distraction and managed to grab the enemies' shadow.

"Sasuke, do it now. I don't believe I can hold them for long." Shikamaru's scream awakened the Uchiha as he realized that he was taking too long in checking if Tenten was hurt.

He looked up to see the enemies trapped by the shadow and nodded, before going through a sequence of hand seals.

_**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu **__(Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)_

The gigantic meteor engulfed the two chunnin and neither of them had the time to scream in agony. Instantly, the same pain engulfed Sasuke as he took a couple of seconds to realize that he just made his first kill. For longer than the Uchiha could remember, there was only one man he ever swore to kill one day and that was elder brother. As the fire created by an Uchiha consumed the bodies of his enemies, Sasuke couldn't help but freeze right there as he pondered on what his only goal in life really represented. Sasuke was no ignorant to the fact that these two may not be his only victims throughout the invasion and quite certainly won't be throughout his ninja career. His ambition to avenge his family wasn't in a way diminished, but what changed was the prospect of _killing_ his older brother. He always talked about doing this, but he never thought about how he would do it.

Shikamaru stood by his side as he could watch the same perplexed expression on Sasuke's face compared to Naruto's not even fifteen minutes ago.

His father always told him that when the time came and he had to kill someone for the first time it would certainly be the worst day of Shikamaru's life. In this case, the amount of his IQ represented very little in his ability to grasp what both Sasuke and Naruto were going through right now. Even if they were participating in a tournament to decide if they have the skills necessary to become chunnins, he was sure that none of the rookies had ever killed anyone before, at least not until now. He figured that if both Sasuke and Naruto managed to understand what it means to kill someone in order to protect others, then they could be considered chunnin material shinobi. Tenten's noise of pain had woken Shikamaru, before he went to check on the wounded genin.

"Are you alright, Tenten?" Shikamaru's question woken Sasuke as well, since he joined by the girl's other side.

The weapon specialist nodded, before massaging her jaw a little bit. That kick almost knocked her out. Sasuke and Shikamaru helped her get up just as Chouji and Sakura left the hospital. Chouji was using his partial expansion jutsu and carrying a civilian couple in each of his arms while Sakura was carrying a baby girl. The group was once again joined just as an explosion happened a few meters away from their position. Luckily, it was just a misfired jutsu, meaning that there weren't more enemies to deal with.

"Sakura, is the hospital empty?" Shikamaru asked, earning a nod from the kunoichi.

"Yes, we searched through every corridor and room, only to find this couple and their baby. The rest were already taken to the shelters, so we must head there immediately."

"Let's go then, there is one not far from here." Sasuke said as the group left the hospital location towards one of the shelters. Afterward, as Kakashi instructed, they would need to find the nearest jounin in order to see how they could be of further assistance to the purpose of casting the enemies out. It didn't take long for them to reach the shelter, before the group was on the move again. Sasuke was the one who looked up to see the man from the first phase of the chunnin exams barking orders at some chunnins. He urged his team to follow them just as the chunnins received their orders and left the rooftop. As soon as they landed, though, both Ibiki and the genins were surprised at the noise coming from the walls. Much to their shock, a three headed gigantic snake made a giant hole on the village's wall, threatening to destroy the entire village just by passing by. Ibiki was considering his options, when he saw a big shadow on the ground.

The snake could only see stars when a fifty feet battle toad fell from the sky and right on top of the reptile.

* * *

**===With Naruto's team===**

Immediately upon leaving the stadium, the group was assaulted by a group of nine sound genins and chunnins. However, a couple of Konoha chunnins appeared and managed to hold their own, allowing Naruto's team to continue their trip towards the Academy. The entire town was deserted with fights occurring in specific points of the village. Naruto felt like joining a couple of them, before remembering that he was given a mission to protect the Academy. On the way, he figured that Iruka-sensei would be there as well to protect the students. Even if the situation didn't call for it, a part of him was feeling excited upon being able to show Iruka-sensei how much he'd improved since graduation.

"We must hurry…the Academy is being attacked by no more than fifteen sound shinobi. There are only three chunnins there right now and they're struggling to keep the enemies from attacking the children."

Everyone heard Neji's report and nodded, before focusing chakra to their legs for the extra propulsion. Naruto was the fastest of the group, so he went on ahead of everyone. Five minutes later, they could see the Academy and the enemies attacking. One of the chunnins was on the floor and filled with lots of kunai stuck in his stomach. Naruto saw Iruka holding his own but barely. Turning to Ino and the others with projectiles, they all nodded at his intention, before throwing shurikens at the enemies.

The sound ninjas sensed the weapons' approach and backed off their assault, before the genins appeared in front of the chunnins. Iruka managed to relax a bit upon seeing the back up.

"It's good that you appeared. They all came out of nowhere." Iruka smiled upon seeing his ex-students. He could see Naruto among the group and couldn't help but see how focused he was on the enemy.

"No sweat, Iruka-sensei, we were sent here by Kakashi-sensei." Iruka nodded, before kneeling to check on the other chunnin instructor, an overweight chunnin by the name of Daikoku. The rest of the chunnins were already able to extract the children from the Academy, so their mission was now reduced to salvaging the building. The sound enemies sneered at what the man referred to as back up, since they appeared to be fresh out of the academy genins with no appearing threat whatsoever. One of them even tried to attack Naruto only for the blond to dodge and thrust his sword through the man's stomach, surprising the hell out of the guy. The others were surprised as well upon witnessing the brat's speed. Shino took the opportunity and performed some hand seals.

_**Mushi Dama no Jutsu**_ _(Insect Sphere Technique)_

The amount of bugs that left from inside his sleeves formed a swirling sphere as it charged towards the enemy. Upon impact, the insects started sucking the enemy's chakra. The attack didn't do much against all of the enemies, but at least they sucked quite a lot of their chakra, before going back to Shino. Ino remained on the back, seeing as she always was a support type kunoichi. She and Shino remained in the back, while Naruto and Neji stood on the front lines. Both looked at each other and Naruto could swear that Neji wasn't looking forward to working together with him. '_Well, tough luck Neji, we are now together in this.' _Naruto thought as he threw the sword up a bit to do a very familiar hand seal.

_**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **__(Multi Shadow Clone Technique)_

Instead of bunch a clones though, Naruto opted to summon a team of three before joining the clones in a single charge against the enemies. Despite not enjoying Naruto's presence right now, Neji couldn't help but look at the four Narutos' coordination and acknowledge their skills. After all, he was also victimized by said coordinated attack. At first it looked like they would charge the enemies head on, which was an amateur move at best. However, when the clones and the real Naruto reached half distance, the four Narutos started changing their positions in random movements, thus confusing the enemy. When the Narutos got closer to the enemy, the sound genins used their rather quick paces to get rid of these clones as well as the real one as quickly as possible. In the last minute, though, only two remained forward as they managed to block a few of the attacks, thus allowing the other clone and the real Naruto to move quickly and kill them a good three enemies from behind. The rest of the platoon look surprised at the genin, but one of them managed to slice one of the Narutos left with a kunai. The real one sensed his cue to leave, just as Neji approached, using Naruto's created distraction.

_**Hakke Rokujuuyonshou **__(Eight Divination Signs Six Four Palms of the Hand)_

The field of Neji's technique engulfed the rest of the enemies that survived both Naruto and Shino's attack, before Neji moved quickly and sealed their tenketsus, rendering the rest of the enemies unconscious. Iruka looked with a surprised smile as he saw how much his genins had grown since their graduation. With the academy cleared, the group of genins approached the rest of the chunnins that stood protecting the academy. After clearing out with Iruka, they quickly left in union, searching for the next jounin as Kakashi instructed them to. As soon as they left from the Academy, Naruto's team wasn't able to walk further as a good amount of kunai came straight at them from the right. Neji and Shino used their respective bloodlines to spot the attack, but Naruto had only his blunt instinct honed by the amount of times Anko had sneaked up on him from behind with kunai. Ino was the only one who didn't spot the attack, but she was out of harm's way, behind Shino. Two seconds later, right in front of them, appeared a lone man with the sound insignia on his forehead. Looking at him for a while, everyone could see that he was stronger than the ones the genins had faced so far. He was easily Kakashi's height and double his muscles build up with a great number of scars located on both arms. His outfit was similar to the other sound shinobis, but he wasn't wearing a mask to cover his face. The man had gray long hair and showed a look of complete boredom upon looking at his next competition.

So the rumor was true and Konoha had lowered its standards, because of these times of peace. So far, his only opposition was of weak chunnins at the most. Now, he was facing genins.

Both Naruto and Neji stood at the ready while observing the man. In retrospect, the sound shinobi at least took into consideration that none of the genin believed it would be wise to start the fight. He took a while to study the first two and observed the one from the right more than the one from the left. The Byakugan was rather famous enough that even someone young in the ninja world could recognize it. That made him a little bit alert as no Hyuuga could be underestimated, even if it was a genin. Turning slightly, he focused on the brat with the blond hair and saw that he was holding a kodashi it seemed in a reverse grip, a style that wasn't very popular amongst swordfighters.

Smiling, the man did a couple of hand seals, before vanishing from Naruto's sight. The genin was surprised at it, but kept his calm. He didn't know what was going on, but Anko had punched him a great number of occasions without him even noticing she was there. That being said, he was used to trusting his instincts. He stood there and focused, not even aware of the fact that the enemy had just casted a false surroundings genjutsu on him. He suddenly heard a shift of air through his right and turned to land the strike from his sword. The sudden noise of kunai parrying sword disrupted the illusion as Naruto now stood face to face with the surprised enemy. The man knew that Naruto was caught in his illusion and the Hyuuga didn't activate his eyes fast enough. His experience suddenly told the man to stop the game of strength and back off from the blond. He narrowed his eyes when Naruto's sword began to glow with chakra.

Because of that, he figured that underestimating the blond wouldn't be his best course of action. He saw the Hyuuga coming from his right and looked at the boy's hand trying to land one hit at him. He knew what would happen if he did and thus dodged every time. As soon as he saw an opening, he took it and threw Neji off balance with his leg, before flipping in midair to land a powerful kick at the Hyuuga. His eyes registered the blond's approach from his blind side and he realized that he couldn't dodge in mid-air. As soon as the sword penetrated his stomach, he replaced himself with a log a few meters away and began a series of hand seals.

_**Doton Jishin no Jutsu **__(Earth Release: Earthquake Technique)_

As soon as he smashed both hands on the ground, it started shaking fiercely, forcing the genins to lose their balance, allowing the sound shinobi to charge at the blond first with a kunai. Naruto saw the man's approach and tried balancing himself despite the earthquake. He managed to parry the kunai with his sword, but his footing wasn't right and he figured that he couldn't keep up with the man's speed. He suddenly saw the man's arm turning into a rock and realized that he needed to escape from his position and fast. He had only enough time to summon a kage bunshin and replace himself with the real one, surprising the enemy. Neji took the time and charged once more with the jyuuken, hoping to strike the man but to no avail. The enemy was beginning to grow tired of these two and stepped up his game, aiming a strong kick at Neji's face, before finishing a sequence of hand seals.

_**Doton Doryuudan no Jutsu **__(Earth Release: Mud Dragon Projectile Technique)_

Neji could see the attack coming because of the Byakugan and used the main house technique Kaiten. He focused chakra throughout all of his tenketsus and released it at the same time, while spinning his body thus forming a protective chakra dome around him. The enemy cursed once more, taking away his attention from both genins and focusing only on the Hyuuga. A mistake he sadly wouldn't be able to regret as he flinched all of a sudden. As he turned his head to look at his back, he saw the blond genin's kodashi entered his back and almost came out of his chest. Naruto used the distraction supplied by Neji and threw his sword at the man, before performing hand seals for the Reppushou technique. With it, his sword was propelled with superior speed and penetrated the man's back with such brutality that it almost pierced through. The other three genins looked at it with mixed expressions. Shino lifted his eyebrow upon witnessing the impact and Ino let out a frightened scream at the sudden brutality. Neji, though, looked at it for a while, before focusing on the blond with focused expression on his face.

Even with the amount of pride he had, Neji was beginning to realize that perhaps Naruto wasn't going one hundred percent against him at the Chunnin Exams if he could deal this kind of damage.

The blond in question said nothing as he approached the downed enemy and removed his bleeding sword, before placing it back inside the scabbard. He didn't look conflicted after killing five enemies now and in Ino's mind, it seemed almost surreal. Back at the academy, Naruto appeared unable to hurt even a fly, but the way in which he handled the enemies was just so unlike him that it kind of scared her. Looking at the genins still with his focused expression, Naruto ushered everyone to move and quite surprisingly, no one turned and questioned him being the leader of the group. Leading the way towards the gates that arose to their left, Naruto's group was suddenly surrounded by three sand and sound chunnins. Naruto had no doubt in his mind as he went through quick hand seals, before gathering as much air as he could inside his lungs.

_**Fuuton Daitoppa no Jutsu **__(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique)_

The huge gust of wind came out stronger than the one used at Neji and the genins had to shield their face because of the fierce wind. The enemies struggled to remain in their positions by sticking to the ground by using chakra. Eventually, the enemies caved and were sent flying with the exception of a couple that actually knew of the technique beforehand. They were sand chunnins. As soon as Naruto finished the technique, he needed to recover his breath, leaving him open for a load of shurikens to charge at him, threatening to pierce his body. Shino was the one that moved faster, by summoning his bugs and having them swirl around Naruto, forming a dome of sorts. Still coughing, he turned to Shino in appreciation. Grabbing his sword once more and focusing more wind chakra through it, he waited for the bug wall to cease for him to continue with the attack. When the wall ceased, though, he saw something weird happening with the chunnins. They were frozen in place and a black hand appeared to be crawling up their bodies until it stopped on their necks. The frightened looks on their faces only took seconds, before the genins winced at the sound of necks being broken. When they turned to the left, a man appeared looking like an older version of Shikamaru showing a considerable scar on his face. The man was wearing a jounin vest, and some old coat on top of it.

"Troublesome…it appears that we arrived on time." The genins were surprised at that since they only saw him there. Suddenly, though, Anbus showed up and even the fathers of Chouji and Ino, Chouza and Inoichi.

The genins looked around because of Shikaku's words and spotted a couple of Anbus as well as two jounins that appeared to be older versions of Chouji and Ino, even if it was a man. Ino met her father and embraced him for a while, probably seeing safety in the man's embrace. Naruto, Neji and Shino met with Shikaku and one of the Anbus, a woman by the looks of it because of the Anbu's long blue hair. The cat masked Anbu noticed a few spots on Naruto's hand that was covered with blood and from the look on his face, she knew it wasn't his blood nor from any of the genins. None of them appeared injured and only the Hyuuga had a drop of blood dropping from his mouth.

"Shikaku-san, we should get going. The plan is still in effect." The female Anbu said.

Shikaku's father appeared to be the one in charge from what Naruto could gather. The one in question nodded and turned to the team of genin.

"You guys should come in with us and protect any civilian we encounter. Leave the fighting to us, understood?" The genins nodded, before everyone vanished in order to start searching for enemies to deal with.

* * *

**===Far from the village===**

Hidden within the heavy foliage that surrounded the village, Kankuro and Temari were busy guarding their brother as he couldn't help but shake in rage. To their knowledge, no one was ever able to land a hit on him like the Uchiha did and now they weren't sure what would happen. If their brother lost control to the beast, then they couldn't do anything but flee from fear of being killed by the beast residing inside their little brother. Gaara's blood had already turned into sand as he emitted an angry scream, filled with malice making both his brother shake in the process. It was too late now to stop the transformation as Gaara was now transformed into a mini Shukaku. Both of them began to flee, when they saw a man with long white hair appear from behind them.

None of them knew who he was, though. The man in question looked at the transformed jinchuuriki and narrowed his eyes, before hiding his right hand from view. His five fingers had blue kanji written.

The man suddenly vanished and appeared right in front of the jinchuuriki, before slamming the _**Gogyon Fuuin**_ (Five Elements Seal) on Gaara's stomach, stopping the beast from taking over the jinchuuriki. Letting out a breath in relief at arriving on time, he saw that the jinchuuriki fell limb on the ground and moved to grab him. He could feel chakra being molded behind him, but didn't think much of it and grabbed Gaara just a powerful gust of wind struck him from behind. Waiting a minute to see if she was able to kill the man, she saw five trees sliced on the ground, but no sign of either the stranger or her brother Gaara anywhere.

"Oh, a wind user, and one quite strong for your age." Jiraiya had a smirk on his face as if the situation. Temari could only see fire as the man managed to capture her brother.

"I won't let you capture my brother, give him back to me now." The sannin only smirked at such anger.

"Whoever said that you wouldn't be captured as well?" The girl looked at him for a while, before her eyes widened at a new presence from behind. She couldn't do much as Jiraiya gave her a chop on the neck that rendered her unconscious. The puppet user suffered the same fate, but he was too shocked to see how easily this man dealt with Gaara and Temari to show much resistance. No sooner, a team of trench coat dressed Anbu Black Ops dropped and took the captive away. Jiraiya, then, wondered how the fight between his sensei and his teammate was. He reluctantly agreed to watch out for the jinchuuriki while Sarutobi-sensei dealt with Orochimaru. It was understandable that sensei would take responsibility and deal with Orochimaru, but Jiraiya wished that he was there to assist.

Hoping that he wasn't too late, he vanished towards the location of the fight.

* * *

**===Battle of the Kages===**

The battle between Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen started out with each one testing the other so to speak. To the Anbu spectators, it could be considered a show of undisputed talent displayed by their Hokage as the man managed to mingle both fire and earth techniques like no one ever could. However, for each technique Hiruzen used, Orochimaru always seemed to be prepared for it and managed to evade. The Hokage, though, wasn't fazed by his student's skill to dodge his techniques. On the contrary, it was at the least expected from a man who was considered an S-ranked shinobi and one of the Sannin. The fight soon had increased in skill as both moved up to high level techniques. The fight was equally matched, until Orochimaru decided to play dirty, even dirtier than the shinobi's normal _modus operandi_. Seeing as he couldn't beat the old man using his own set of skills, Orochimaru resorted to an S-ranked kinjutsu that consisted of summoning the dead by using one of his pawns as sacrifices.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a fearsome opponent, but with his old age, he couldn't go up against his student and the two first Senju Hokages, both of them being his sensei when he was a genin.

The old man needed help and he got it by summoning Enma, the monkey king. With its help, Sarutobi managed to turn the odds in his favor by beating the crap out of both Hashirama and Tobirama, the First and Second Hokage respectively. However, with each deadly move, Sarutobi Hiruzen found out that the only way for him to deal with the Senju brothers was to take care of the one who summoned him. Unfortunately, though, he would have to go through his two sensei and that was almost, if not completely, impossible to even consider. With his options being limited, the old man sighed in dismay as his mind could only think of one choice. A great sense of dread overcame him, though, at the thought of using the same technique that the Yondaime had used in order to deal with the almighty Kyuubi no Yoko a long time ago. His dread wasn't meritless as he knew the consequence of using said technique. As the war progressed throughout the village, Sarutobi knew within his heart that Konoha's shinobi had already turned the odds and had followed his plan to their utmost ability. His only fear right now was not living to see the village's glory upon surviving yet another war, even if technically it was an invasion. The old monkey king Enma, transformed into Sarutobi's metal staff, had fought many years along Hiruzen and thus knew the old man's thoughts.

"You're not thinking of doing what I think you're going to do, are you Sarutobi?"

A tired smile was evident on Hiruzen's face as his partner knew him so well.

"The reason this village has withstood so many battles, my dear friend, was not because of a single man, but everyone. The only way I could beat Orochimaru is by using the Shiki Fuujin." Hiruzen could hear a snarl coming from his staff, but his partner knew as much as he did that this was the only way. Enma snarled in anger for the only reason of venting out his frustrations of not being able to do anything to stop his partner from sacrificing himself in order to stop this threat. Throughout the village's history, no kage managed to live long enough to step down from his position and nominate a successor. The only one to do that was the Sandaime, but because of the Kyuubi, his successor ended up sacrificing himself, thus repeating the curse of the Hokage's position.

* * *

**===With Jiraiya===**

It didn't take long for the sannin to reach the place of the battle as he observed a team of Anbu Black Ops just stationed there just behind what appeared to be a barrier made of purple like energy. Almost on the verge of asking why they were just standing there, Jiraiya had refrained from doing so, as these guys wore those masks for no other reason than their commitment to the village's welfare as well as the Hokage's. Jiraiya knew that if there was any opening, these guys would exploit it. He could see how the battlefield was changed and even the two new members of the battle. His old sensei was strong and Orochimaru knew he couldn't beat the old man alone. But now it fell to him to do something about this. He had enough experience under his belt to know that the barrier in front of him was a kekkai ninjutsu (barrier ninjutsu) technique. And like every barrier, if he could match the amount of chakra used to create the technique, he could disrupt it quite easily through the use of fuuinjutsu.

A smirk suddenly appeared as he considered one of the last projects he created alongside his old student, the Yondaime Hokage.

He could see the four pillars of the technique were actually Orochimaru's goons maintaining it. He knew that the amount of chakra and the chakra control necessary to maintain the barrier would eventually tire them, but he knew that Orochimaru knew this as well. The snake must have calculated the time he had to deal with the old man. However, Jiraiya knew his old teammate wasn't counting on his presence there as he was quite crafty in the world of seals. With one finger glowing, Jiraiya quickly devised the design of his own seal, drawing identical kanjis in a lozenge shape. The sound four, the ones responsible for the barrier, looked at Jiraiya with curious expressions. They couldn't do anything to stop him as one single movement would disrupt the barrier. As soon as Jiraiya had written the last kanji near the Anbus' side, he asked them to approach, so that he could give his orders to them. This move had to be precise in order to work.

"Ok guys, as skilled as I expect you to be, you'll help me in disrupting the barrier." The look of shock was evident even with the masks, but Jiraiya ignored it in favor of explaining. "This kanji right here was drawn on the four sides of this rooftop. At my command, each one of you will perform a sequence of hand seals and it must be performed at the same time. I'll be the main one as I need to control the technique, you guys will just supply the chakra needed to break this." Jiraiya explained them their hand seal sequence, before the Anbus got into position at the designated spots. The three Anbus started their hand seals, before they slammed both hands on the seal drawn by Jiraiya, as they molded the necessary amount of chakra. Instantly, a white light appeared on the first man and travelled towards the second Anbu. Said light remained there and a second light moved from the second to the third and rested there as well. Another soon appeared from the third and rested on Jiraiya's position, while he was busy making a long and intricate sequence of hand seals.

After molding the necessary chakra, he placed his hands on his seal, thus creating the fourth light that left him and rested on the first Anbu member.

_**Fuuinjutsu Kekkai Chacha no Jutsu**_ (_Sealing Arts: Barrier Disruption Technique_)

The lozenge was thus formed and started glowing before all four lights rose at the sky, engulfing the purple barrier. For a while, both fuuinjutsu techniques stood there battling for power, but the sound four weren't as chakra resourceful as a sannin and three Anbu Black Ops. Added to the fact that they'd been maintaining the barrier for a longer period of time, the battle didn't take long and the purple barrier was lifted, surprising the ones in it. Hiruzen had already summoned three kage bunshins to aid him in sealing everyone with the Shiki Fuujin when he saw the barrier being lifted. Orochimaru cursed Jiraiya like he never had before just as the Anbu Black Ops rushed inside to save their Hokage. Jiraiya appeared inside as well, looking rather smug as he saw the furious look displayed by Orochimaru. The snake sannin, for his part, snarled since the odds turned once more and there was nothing standing between the entire force of the Konoha Anbu and him. The Senju brothers were by now dissolving, all because of Orochimaru's short supply of chakra to maintain them alive for long.

He had to flee.

The Sound Four all used smoke bombs, before gathering their leader and making a break for it. The Anbus were about to give chase, but they were mostly concerned with their Hokage's wellbeing. The man looked at his student and smiled before closing his eyes in pure exhaustion. A good sleep would do him wonders as he was now relieved that Konoha won another round and he was still alive to see it through. Throughout the village, Sand ninjas, at least the alive ones, decided to flee seeing as Konoha managed to turn the odds against them. Sound ninjas, though, weren't so lucky as the majority were decimated. Only a select few managed to escape.

Konoha had lived throughout dark times once more, all thanks to its shinobi and the will of fire.

* * *

**Author Note**

Well, that's the end of the chapter.

Well, a different turn on the invasion with Naruto and Sasuke staying inside the village and taking out a lot of enemies. Jiraiya was tasked with capturing the Jinchuuriki and his siblings. Furthermore, Sarutobi Hiruzen got another victory under his belt of survivals throughout war times. I think the only part in which the readers will question is the effects of Orochimaru's diminishing chakra to maintain the Edo Tensei technique. In canon, it says that the only way to beat the Edo Tensei is to deal with the one who created it. With that, I presumed that with a low chakra capacity, the creator couldn't be able to maintain the resurrected for long. If not, then Orochimaru could pass out from chakra exhaustion and the Hokages would still be there fighting for him.

So what do you think about it? I'd like to hear some input about my work so far.

Also, for those who don't yet know, I've come up with three different challenges and post them in my profile. They were originally ideas for new stories, but if I were to put them into paper, chances were that people would find me and demand my head for this. Therefore, I chose to create challenges in order to allow others to write it. Perhaps, some new writer decides to take it and show us his or her skills. In the end, I'm always interested in quality written fan fiction. Should any of you consider taking the challenge, please send me the link of the story.

Please check it out.

See you all next time.


	6. Consequences of the invasion

**Author Note**

Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Accursed Brothers.

I've received a lot of great reviews regarding this version of the invasion. People really enjoyed it, I guess. Now, this chapter is pretty much how the situation in canon would be had Sarutobi survived the invasion. That being said, he will be the main character of this chapter. I thought it was nice to give the readers a different perspective of the story. In all the other chapters, I tended to focus more in Sasuke and Naruto's point of view of the events, but in this chapter it'll be the Sandaime Hokage's point of view for the most part. Upon writing it, I couldn't help but feel how nice it was to change the perspective a bit. Sarutobi Hiruzen was the only person in canon who related to every other character, thus he knew everyone's pain. However, before the chapter, I'll focus on answering some of the reviews.

* * *

**Meech Macko** – I completely agree with your argument regarding Sasuke and Naruto's friendship. One of the things that always pissed Sasuke off was seeing everyone laughing and having fun while he was suffering. Upon seeing that his teammate Naruto is a more reserved individual and had lived through pain and suffering, Sasuke can better relate to the blond and thus avoid the necessity of turning to Orochimaru for power.

**BowTechsniper **– The next Hokage will be decided by Sarutobi as he considers all possible applicants for the job. I won't say who, though. As to Naruto's pairing, it will be revealed at a later date. It won't be Ino, Anko or any girl from Konoha. I believed I covered the majority of the Konoha female population in my other stories, so it was now time I chose someone from the outside. I won't say more about this subject, because any more hint and it will be easy for the readers to guess.

**Crystalzap** - There are indeed a lot of inconsistencies in Kishimoto's work. You brought forward an interesting point about the Edo Tensei with Kabuto pretty much resurrecting the entire range of S-ranked shinobi from the past without suffering from chakra exhaustion. Edo Tensei is considered an S-ranked kinjutsu and thus by definition, requires high chakra consumption. One thing that Kishimoto always seems to do is to bend his own rules so that the bad guy appears stronger than the good guys. The Sharingan is one very good example. Every time it seems that an Uchiha is going to lose the battle, a new godly skill appears and turn the tides. It's a little bit frustrating, actually. The enemies have more chakra, doesn't get tired and have access to deadly techniques. The good guy has guts. That's it. No matter how stronger the enemy is, the hero can overcome with sheer guts. I know! It's the fundament of a hero-villain-damsel plot. But it's so damn infuriating. It is always the same story. In order to create the suspense, the villain must be stronger than the hero. Once the villain threatens the damsel, the hero takes power from god knows where and defeats the villain.

**Thenick1084** – I know what you mean. Also with Anko beating the crap out of him, he was taught how to attack and defend properly. I always found it unnerving to see him getting beat up every time.

* * *

And now here's the chapter.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Consequences of the invasion and promotions**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

Barely two days had passed since the invasion suffered by Konohagakure, at the hands of Otogakure and Sunagakure. Although the giant walls of the hidden villages in the leaves were victorious in the end, it didn't mean that the people were celebrating; far from it, actually. A lot of people perished because of one man's ambition, from both sides of the war. There was a solemn feeling for those who lost their loved ones and also for those who had to take lives, even if they were the enemy. Konohagakure was in lockdown until further notice as everyone needed time to think about what happened, grieve and then move forward. The Sandaime Hokage was clearly the one who suffered the most amongst both the civilian and the ninja population.

His legend was forged through bloodshed for more than fifty years of battle.

No doubt he was getting too god damn old for this shit. The man lost count on how many battles he'd participated in. He also lost count on how many comrades, family, friends and acquaintances he had to bury. The majority being blamed on the shinobi's countless battles. The man was currently inside a hospital room as he pondered on what happened two days ago. As the Hokage, he couldn't just relax and recover in the hospital, but he couldn't leave his room either. That being said, he ordered a temporary office to be set inside his hospital room. The man was almost entirely covered by bandages as he focused on the damage reports. He read the meticulously elaborated report at least three times, before sighing in dismay. Even if Konohagakure's side suffered the least, there were still casualties.

Lives lost in the line of duty, protecting their village, further fueling the flame that drove this village to greatness day by day.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, despite all the hardships in his life, all the comrades he had lost in his life, couldn't help but shed a lone tear for those who sacrificed their lives for the good of the village. It was for men like these that he could find the strength to rule this village despite his old age. He knew he needed a replacement now more than ever and this would be one of his tasks until he was out of the hospital. There was no pain that dig further than the realization that he just wasn't in his prime anymore. He needed to think of suitable replacements and now it was the time. His mind immediately went to an elite jounin and prized student of the deceased Yondaime Hokage. Hatake Kakashi was the living embodiment of everything this village needed for the position of Godaime Hokage.

Admittedly, Sarutobi wished the man was at least five years older in terms of experience, but the Second Shinobi Great War gave him all the experience he needed.

Every leader had one vital goal in life, besides leading his people to the best of his knowledge; train a suitable successor. Orochimaru was the Third, even if he decided against it in the end. Sarutobi had no doubt in his mind that had the Yondaime not sacrificed himself to get rid of the Kyuubi, he would be grooming Kakashi for the position right now. The son of the legendary white fang had everything. A reputation bearing on S-ranked according to the bingo book, the vitality of youth, skills that far exceeded a normal jounin's imagination and of course the implanted Sharingan on his right socket, that gave him the reputation of Sharingan no Kakashi. Sarutobi of course had two other names to consider. Aside from Orochimaru, both Jiraiya and Tsunade had both the political and shinobi reputations to rule this village.

However, like Orochimaru, both Jiraiya and Tsunade had flaws that Kakashi didn't share.

All four of them suffered, god damn if Sarutobi didn't recognize it. Orochimaru had lost his parents when he was young and suffered a great deal of trauma because of it. He became delusional and became a criminal of the worst kind. Jiraiya's pain was the loss of his favorite student and son figure Namikaze Minato. Sarutobi knew the man never got over the loss of the Yondaime. He even suspected that the reason his student didn't take on young Naruto was because the boy reminded him too much of whom he lost. A Hokage couldn't afford to let weakness cloud his judgment. Plus, Jiraiya was so far engrossed in his spy network that it would be a loss to Konoha if he was trapped behind a desk. Tsunade was actually the only one of the Sannin nowadays that was Hokage material. However, the loss of her soon to be husband and brother had ruined her life badly. Compared to the sannin, Kakashi had lost a lot as well, beginning with his father committing suicide after a failed S-ranked mission. To this day, Sarutobi mourned Hatake Sakumo's decision to commit suicide.

The man would certainly be an even greater legend than he was at the time of his prime. Sakumo was a man that always preferred the battlefield rather than being stuck behind a desk. He was considered by the Sandaime a long time ago for the position of Hokage together with Orochimaru and Minato. Sakumo refused though saying that he belonged in the battlefield. Hatake Kakashi was merely an academy student when his father perished. The last descendant of the Hatake Clan took his father's suicide and improved in his career. The boy was an Anbu captain when he was the same age as the genins nowadays. His second greatest pain was also his prized strength, the acquisition of his Sharingan.

There was no doubt in his mind that Kakashi was the future Godaime Hokage.

Sarutobi knew the time to step down was upon him. Actually said time happened almost thirteen years ago, but he had to regain his throne once more. Sarutobi loved the village too much to simply step down and retire. He figured that Kakashi-kun could use some help in political affairs. Like Kakashi's promotion from elite jounin to Hokage, Sarutobi needed to address the necessity of replacing the chunnin he had lost because of the invasion. No doubt, the answer to his problem was to focus on the Chunnin Exams as well as the reports given by the Anbu of the chunnin applicants' field test. In this field, a proud smile could be seen from the old warrior's face as he considered the new generation of shinobi and their accomplishments thus far. He knew down to a certainty the crops of chunnin applicants were all impressive shinobi and would only grow in the future. The invasion ended up ruining their chances of the genins showing their skills, but Sarutobi knew their worth. The reports of their abilities in the invasion showed him that. Two names immediately popped in his mind and one of them was his grandson figure Uzumaki Naruto. His heart was filled with pride at the blond's displayed ability and he knew he did the right thing placing Anko as his tutor for the month. Naruto's untapped potential wouldn't be as _thoroughly _achieved with a jounin that focused on theoretical work alone. Now, Sarutobi imagined great things for the boy.

Another name was the last descendant of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke Uchiha.

Everyone had a lot of opinions concerning his mental stability after what his older brother did a long time ago. With that said, people often wondered that given the situation, Sasuke would prefer stepping on others in order to grow in strength. The reports he received, however, told him another story; a cooperative Sasuke, leading a team of genin throughout a tough situation and beating enemies that were chunnin level. Sarutobi knew the boy already had the skills to become a chunnin. His dedication to become stronger, even if it was based on revenge alone, not only gave him mastery of fire manipulation, but also excellence in both taijutsu and genjutsu; added that with the Sharingan and the cursed seal, Sasuke was already a foe to be feared in the field. Both Naruto and Sasuke displayed enough skills and will surely receive the promotion. Another two names were considered for the promotion, although for their work in the field. Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino were competent shinobi and learned a great load of techniques from their respective Nara and Aburame Clan. Shikamaru had a high IQ thus had the ability of a strategist like his father. Shino was there as well, inheriting Shibi's calculative nature even in dire stress.

Sarutobi at first considered appointing Hyuuga Neji for the promotion, but then thought one more time.

The young Hyuuga, like Sasuke, had the skill to become chunnin. However, the boy's state of mind just wasn't where Sarutobi wanted in a chunnin. He received information from Hiashi stating that he explained the real story to Neji and that he was showing signs of change. Perhaps, the next Chunnin Exams, Neji could prove himself worthy of the promotion, but not this time. The rest of the rookies also showed promise and Hiruzen was sure that in the next exams, the majority of them will get the promotion. Sarutobi also needed to consider what to do with the children of the deceased Yondaime Kazekage. Sunagakure was being manipulated by Orochimaru, so it was decided that Konoha wouldn't retaliate against them. The Suna council had already agreed to any form of compensation for the damages, so Sarutobi considered ordering a team tomorrow to take the three Subaku children towards Sunagakure. Jiraiya had already fixed Gaara's seal, thus not allowing the boy to harm anyone.

It was strange to hear that the young Gaara thanking his student for fixing the seal. He learned, though, because of the poorly casted seal, Gaara couldn't sleep from fear of letting the beast loose.

The boy slept for two days straight.

Scratching the chunnin replacements off his agenda, it was now time to fix some infrastructural flaws in the village, starting with the place he was right now. Usually, there were no complaints with the hospital system, at least not a specific amount that would concern a leader. However, the place wasn't managed properly. Lots of funds would go to waste and the doctor's practices just weren't keeping up with the new diseases out there. Hiruzen needed someone who could run the place as it should, someone with great medicinal knowledge. In this regard, he needed little time to ponder on a name. Tsunade was the right person for the job and she could even use this facility as a medic-nin academy like she always wanted in the past. The only part he was dreading was how he would go about convincing her to come back to the hidden village in the leaves. Perhaps he could talk this with Jiraiya tomorrow. He would know how to convince his teammate to return.

Also, he needed to make some changes with the patrol missions. This invasion has proven that the enemy could very well sneak in the forest that surrounded the village and attack without anyone noticing.

This item, however, needed to be attended tomorrow as his mind was already tired of reading the reports and considering the promotions. The room was dark with only the moon outside granting some light. Sarutobi Hiruzen appreciated the dark, though. It was comfortable to him. Too much light isn't necessarily a good thing. In the ninja world, a ninja must find the balance between darkness and light. Sarutobi one time learned that from his sensei Senju Tobirama. He closed his eyes with a smile on his face as he appreciated the short times in which he could afford some rest. Now that he was set on giving the crown to Kakashi, Sarutobi couldn't help but wonder about the more relaxing days he will most certainly have.

* * *

**===the next day===**

Once fully rested and not as bruised as before, the Sandaime Hokage decided to return to his office as he had a lot of announcements for today.

These last three days were a blessing to the old man as he managed to ease his mind because of the last events that occurred in the village. Walking throughout the village, the Hokage could see the villagers all working in repairing their damaged homes. He could see from their reserved expression that they were still mourning those who perished. Hiruzen had enough experience to realize that people would overcome pain with time. He needed to attend the village's funeral in twenty minutes. Along the way, he met with a great majority of shinobi from all ranks, bowing at him. They were all looks of admiration, he could tell. Sarutobi was able to hold his own against Orochimaru of the Sannin as well as the first and second Hokage. It was nothing short of amazing, but the man felt he didn't deserve it. It was because of his failure that Orochimaru was out there, causing havoc.

He was the one responsible for the invasion.

The old man let out a single tear in pain for those who perished at the hands of a man he once considered a son. Ever since Orochimaru graduated and became a genin under his charge, Sarutobi took great interest in the boy. He had lost his parents that year, so Sarutobi ended up becoming the boy's father figure, guiding him as much as possible throughout the years. As time passed by, the team consisted of Orochimaru, Tsunade and Jiraiya became high level shinobi and were sent to the frontlines of the war. They were able to overcome a lot of obstacles together. After the wars, the hidden village in the leaves was graced with an era of peace and prosperity. The snake sannin, though, started an underground laboratory. When Sarutobi found out, he had the opportunity to stop the sannin. At the time, he had two of his most trusted Anbu with him. Orochimaru used a high level genjutsu to sneak behind the Anbu and deliver the killing blow to them before they could register what happened. Sarutobi, though, did and could stop him. Hiruzen did nothing, however.

To this day, the Sandaime Hokage regretted his actions.

Right now, as he approached the place where the funeral was to take place, he whispered a final pray to the shinobi who perished defending their village. To Sarutobi, they were the heroes that deserved the recognition, not him. Some of the dead were taken by surprise, but this fact alone hadn't diminished their sacrifice to the village's wellbeing. What built this village weren't bricks, cement or even wood. The Will of Fire was maintained by the people that reside in the village. Konoha was now mourning those who perished. However, once the mourning ceased, Konoha would flourish once more as its flame could never be extinguished. Even if one person remains, the flames will never die

As the man stepped up and began to address the ninja population transmitting those exact words, Sarutobi's expression was one of full commitment and respect. This was not the time to show weakness as his people needed him right now.

The population couldn't help but be moved by their leader's words.

* * *

**===after the funeral===**

Once the funeral was dealt with, Sarutobi was now meeting with a few important people, namely his teammates, the Anbu commander and the Jounin commander Nara Shikaku. The damage reports were already thoroughly analyzed and taken care of by the Hokage's teammates Homura and Koharu. By tomorrow, a couple of contractor would come to Konoha and assess the damage, before giving Konoha an estimated cost. After that was taken care of, it was now time to fix the routing missions in order to fix some holes in Konoha's defensive system. This system would be taken care of by the Anbu commander, using his Anbu team in order to scout the entire forest around the village. It was considered the Anbu's main priority, besides the protection of the Hokage, to scout the area around the village.

Sarutobi knew the man, being the one who chose him thirty years ago.

"Orochimaru must have the backlogs of every patrol missions, so it wasn't that hard to sneak inside the village without anyone noticing." Nara Shikaku said, earning nods from everyone inside the room except from the Anbu commander.

"This fact alone doesn't diminish the fact that an entire army swooped in Konoha territory and caused major havoc, Shikaku-san. Forgive me Hokage-sama, for my unit has failed you." Hiruzen nodded solemnly at the man he considered a treasured friend. Once Maboroshi Kisuke set his mind on something; he won't stop until he accomplishes exactly what he set out to perform and with utmost efficiency. Sarutobi knew of the man's resolve and how he dealt with any level of threat. He knew Kisuke would do his job.

* * *

_**(Author Note: For those who wish to know who Maboroshi Kisuke, check Shippuuden Episode 193)**_

* * *

"I can't expect any less of you, can I, old friend?" Kisuke nodded once more, before vanishing. He needed to devise a new security system for Konoha after all. After that, Sarutobi addressed the others once more.

"After dealing with these two items, I believe it's now time for us to go over the chunnin replacement. From the report, we've lost close to fifteen chunnin overall. Naturally, our only resources are the Chunnin Exams as well as their display in the field." Everyone nodded at this. Chunnin were a vital piece for Konoha because they took care of the most of Konoha's revenue. Missions going from C to low level A-ranked were performed by Chunnin, thus reserving the high A and S-ranked to the jounin level shinobi. Because of this, everyone in the room expected Sarutobi to nominate more genins for promotion than normal, in order to replace as many as possible. "From the Chunnin Exams alone, both Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke displayed an excellent level of skill and were able to plan ahead in their fights. I believe there is no one here that can say otherwise?"

Nara Shikaku agreed with a smile on his face as he saw the fight between Naruto and the Hyuuga prodigy, Neji. He also witnessed how Naruto dealt with the threats in the invasion. Koharu and Homura, though, saw a problem with one of the names.

"Hiruzen, I agree with you on Sasuke getting promoted, but I don't believe Uzumaki has the right skills yet."

Homura added, followed by Koharu. Before the Hokage could ask their _real _opinion, instead of simply assuming the Kyuubi as a detriment, Shikaku turned to explain.

"Huh troublesome…I believe that Uzumaki Naruto has both the skills and leadership needed of a chunnin; not only for his fight in the Chunnin Exams, but how he led the team of genins throughout the invasion. It's been a while since I've seen a shinobi in Konoha using wind chakra manipulation and the only one who's not an Anbu, who displayed similar ability is Hokage-sama's son Sarutobi Asuma. He is also very proficient in the art of kenjutsu as appointed by one of the Anbu Captain Uzuki Yuugao that was with me throughout the invasion. As to Sasuke, I also concur with his promotion. I believe the boy had displayed similar skills of leadership as Uzumaki-san." The Hokage nodded at Shikaku with a smile on his face. He knew how much Shukaku was against long talks that didn't lead anywhere and he also knew that once he spoke, rarely could someone find anything worthy to counter-argument the jounin commander and lead strategist of the hidden village in the leaves. Sarutobi also appreciated the silent vote of confidence in young Naruto.

As expected, both Homura and Koharu remained silent, opting instead to make sounds of indignation upon seeing the demon child being promoted to chunnin.

"Since it's settled with those two, I'd like to appoint two other names for the position of chunnin, Aburame Shino and Nara Shikamaru." To this, Shukaku couldn't help but show his fatherly pride with a smile. "Both had displayed brilliant strategy throughout the invasion, aiding both Uzumaki Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha in dealing with their fair share of enemies. Without their assistance, saving both the academy and the Hospital would be quite difficult." Hokage knew that his only obstacle would be Naruto's promotion. Shino and Shikamaru's promotion was seconded by the elders and of course Shukaku. The old Nara knew how his son would receive the news, though. He wanted nothing more than to personally being there when his son received his chunnin vest.

_No doubt he'll ask if he could decline the promotion. I can't say that I would blame him as I remembered doing the same thing when I became a chunnin…and a jounin…and the jounin commander. Huh troublesome…_

"Now on to the last item of the day, I believe this to the most important." This got everyone's attention as the Hokage had cleared his throat. "After fighting with Orochimaru, I've came to the conclusion that I'm not as strong as I once was and Konoha, now more than ever, is in need of a young and strong leader. I've considered quite a few names for the position of Godaime, but only one stood out." The others in the room were waiting for who Sarutobi would choose for the position. Shikaku couldn't help but shiver at the possibility of his name leaving Hiruzen's mouth.

_That would be such a drag. _

"I'm announcing Hatake Kakashi as Godaime Hokage" Immediate silence reigned in the office and everyone, including the hidden Anbu, looked at the man they called leader.

Elsewhere a certain jounin was reading an orange book when he suddenly shivered as he could feel a bad omen approaching.

"You cannot be serious, Hiruzen. Kakashi is no doubt skilled, perhaps even considered the best jounin we have in Konoha. But he is too young for the position." This time it was Koharu who went against the Hokage. Shikaku did believe Kakashi was ready, but the man had enough reputation for him to interlude in his behalf. Homura narrowed his eyes at Hiruzen, silently wishing that Danzou was here right now. This matter affected him directly and since Hiruzen haven't indicated that he would be stepping down, the old war hawk opted not to attend. Koharu continued speaking. "How about Jiraiya or Tsunade? Their reputation exceeds Kakashi's and they have the necessary experience."

Hiruzen looked at his teammates and smirked.

"While I admit that both Jiraiya and Tsunade indeed have more experience, neither is fitted for the job of Hokage. Setting their vices aside, Jiraiya is currently running a spy network for our village, hence he can't be tied to a desk right now. Tsunade, I'm afraid, is too far gone for us to even consider her for the position. After losing her lover and her brother because of the war, she has lost all faith in Konoha. Kakashi's only downside is experience, which will be taken care of. Like I did with Minato-kun upon stepping down for the first time, I will accompany Kakashi throughout the job, acting as his advisor until he is ready for the position. Aside from this, his skills rival Jiraiya's and Tsunade's. I dare say he could even surpass them in time."

Shukaku was already convinced, so he didn't say anything. Homura and Koharu started murmuring sounds of indignation.

"I have other plans for Tsunade, however." Sarutobi didn't wait for their approval. After all, it was his prerogative to choose his successor. He just had to homologate his decision with the Fire Daimyou and the man had already met Kakashi in a great number of occasions. "As soon as Jiraiya shows up, I'll ask him to find Tsunade for me. I want her to lead the village's hospital as well as all related health provisions." Upon seeing it was futile to convince Hiruzen to changing his mind concerning his successor, fixing the hospital really wasn't considered a priority for Homura and Koharu. The Hokage knew that much.

"Hokage-sama, how do you intend to convince her to come back? As you said, she has lost all faith in the village." Shukaku asked, earning a nod from the leader.

"Years ago, Tsunade wanted me to create a field medic-nin training program. At the time, we were in the middle of war and thus couldn't afford taking our shinobi off the field and train them to become medic-nin. Now we have both time and resources for her to create said program. This generation has a lot of shinobi with excellent chakra control that could apply to the program. If she's successful, then perhaps we can incorporate field medic-nin into missions, thus avoiding more deaths among our shinobi." Shukaku nodded. Convincing that woman to come back was considered quite a troublesome assignment, but the man didn't worry. It wasn't his assignment after all.

"Well then, since we've pretty much concluded here, everyone is dismissed." They nodded and left the room, leaving Hiruzen alone in his office, aside from the hidden Anbu.

The Hokage knew he wasn't alone, though.

"I hope you bear no ill will over my decision to give the mantle to Kakashi, Jiraiya." The pervert suddenly appeared on the room's opposite wall with a smirk on his face.

"I would have if you considered _me _for the job. I would go for Tsunade, but I can see your point. Kakashi is a fine choice for Hokage, though his habit of tardiness will have to diminish. Do you think she will want to return to Konoha, after hearing about your idea? She has denied all of our attempts in convincing her since she left with her niece Shizune." Hiruzen sighed in dismay, but he knew the pervert was right. The only downsize of his plan was to convince Tsunade to return.

"I admit that it will be hard, but I have to try anyway. This time, though, don't waste your time trying to convince her. The last time you tried, she almost broke your spinal cord." To this day, Hiruzen didn't know what Jiraiya said to Tsunade that infuriated the woman so much. However, seeing the sudden perversion exuding from his student's face, he should have known better. "You did it again didn't you?" Hiruzen couldn't help but smile upon seeing Jiraiya admit it without one shed of guilt in his face. Hiruzen was well aware of what passed in his student's mind as he had read a few of Jiraiya's _work. _

"Just try to control yourself this time as I don't want her to cripple you. The spy network is too valuable for Konoha at the moment."

Jiraiya looked at the Hokage and saw he was smiling at him.

"Thanks for the concern sensei. I didn't know you cared." The Hokage let out a warm laughter, earning a smile from the pervert sannin. "I see that you have promoted the gaki. Do you believe he is ready? I heard that he was quite the troublemaker and tends not to think before attacking." The Hokage smirked at that, knowing that if Jiraiya had asked this before Anko showed up in Naruto's life, he would say that Naruto was not ready.

"This last month did wonders for him, overall. I didn't imagine that Anko would be able to literally _whoop his ass _into shape like she said she would."

Jiraiya smirked at this. "Can I take him with me to find Tsunade? I believe it's high time for him to learn one of his father's techniques?"

"After he receives his chunnin jacket, you can take him. I presume you'll be teaching him the rasengan?" After nod from the pervert, he continued. "I'm still debating what will be done with him, now that he is a chunnin; not only him but the other recently promoted. Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun work well together, so they'll certainly be paired together in missions. Their elements complement each other, so I believe they'll be a dangerous force in the future, more so than there are now. In fact, I believe it's best if you took both Sasuke and Naruto with you. Perhaps, Sasuke's sharingan can better help you find Tsunade."

To this, Jiraiya frowned.

"Just what I'm supposed to do with the pompous Uchiha anyway?" Hiruzen snorted at Jiraiya's indignation. He knew the man just wanted to spend time with his godson.

"This mission I'm issuing to you three can surely take quite a long time to finish. In the mean time, you could train both of them together. You can teach Naruto the Rasengan as well as increment his wind manipulation ability. To Sasuke, you could teach him a couple of fire techniques. Furthermore, you could place them against each other and give them some pointers in taijutsu. Both of them are rather greedy to fight and improve, Jiraiya. Sasuke tries to hide it more than Naruto, but upon the prospect of getting stronger, neither can hide it so much."

Jiraiya knew something was up aside from a certain need to train the Uchiha.

"What is it that you're aiming at, sensei? I know it isn't only to train Sasuke." Hiruzen nodded with a proud smirk. He trained his students well in the arts of deception.

"Sasuke is still targeted by Orochimaru because of the cursed seal placed on him. Right now, Kakashi is tasked with keeping tabs on him, but with the man becoming Hokage, the job of keeping tabs will be with you until the mission is over. It's my hope to increase the bond between him and Naruto, that I can pass the job to him from now on. In time, I hope that both will find in each other a level beyond that of mere teammates. As I understood from your last report, Naruto is also targeted by that organization Akatsuki, if my memory is not failing me. This way…"

"Naruto helps Sasuke and Sasuke helps Naruto." Jiraiya finished Hiruzen's speech, earning a nod from the leader. "What about their cursed seals?"

"I took a great gamble in allowing them to use it. The full effects so far are still unknown. If Sasuke learns how to control it, then he can learn how to cancel Orochimaru's dark influence on him. It's actually another reason why I want those two together. The cursed seal is one more fact they share." Jiraiya nodded, believing that the old man have considered pretty much everything and planned ahead. Also if the cursed seal becomes a liability, Jiraiya will be there to place a new seal on Sasuke to control the cursed seal's influence.

"Well, seeing that is settled, I'll take my leave then; lots of research in my agenda, sensei." Jiraiya said with a perverted face, before vanishing from the office.

This time alone, the Hokage couldn't help but smile. _It won't take long until I receive the first complaints. _

Seeing that he had mission reports to read and other related assignments, the Hokage had postponed the chunnin and Hokage promotions for tomorrow. He couldn't help but smile in anticipation upon seeing the look on Kakashi's face when he hears the good news. In a relaxed tune, Hiruzen went through the mission reports for a good two hours, before leaving his office for the day. He certainly needed as much energy as possible for tomorrow. As the Hokage calmly walked throughout the village, he quietly absorbed the nice view of the night sky, while relaxing at the gentle breeze. It was quite inebriating, this feeling he had every time Konoha passed through an obstacle mostly unscathed. Even if some perished, he was content that the great majority were saved to live once more.

After ten minutes of walking, the old man lifted his head and looked at the Hokage Monument, more directly at the First and Second Hokage's heads.

_I hope that you two are proud of how strong our will of fire has become, Hashirama-sensei, Tobirama-sensei._

As if on cue with Hiruzen's thoughts, two stars in the sky suddenly sparkled once. Hiruzen smirked and continued his path towards his house. He suddenly narrowed his eyes upon feeling a presence behind him. He certainly not missed this man at the meeting today as it went much smoother than it would be had Danzou been there. Turning to see the old war hawk, he suddenly had the need to smirk in victory. Danzou was a shinobi in his mannerisms as well. He managed to mask even his indignation, but Hiruzen has known the man for a long time and knew where to look.

"Hiruzen…" Danzou greeted his old time rival.

"Danzou, it's nice to see you again. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" The Third Hokage tried in vain to find one mention of Danzou's participation in the invasion, but couldn't find anything. It was slightly infuriating, but nonetheless expected. Danzou operated from the shadows, rarely showing to others, especially experienced shinobi, what he did. Although, Hiruzen had the sneaking suspicion that the man in front of him didn't even move a finger to aid the village against the joint forces of Sunagakure and Otogakure. It made Hiruzen wonder the reason, since everything the old war hawk did, he did for the village's benefit. Sometimes, he doubted that, though.

"There were certain situations that needed my utmost attention. I've been hearing interesting rumors, though."

The Hokage had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly what those rumors were.

"Rumors you say? Do enlighten me." The old war hawk's only visible eyebrow frowned for a brief second, showing Hiruzen the sign of Danzou's indignation.

"It's been said that you are stepping down and nominating Hatake Kakashi as Godaime. I doubt if there is any validity to this rumor." No doubt, either Homura or Koharu or both for that manner, spoke to him after leaving his office. Aside from Shukaku's complete discretion concerning these matters, talking with Danzou was considered by the elder Nara very troublesome. That being said, the odds of him being the one who gave Danzou this information was even smaller than zero, if that was possible. After Kakashi is appointed to Hokage, Hiruzen's first advice will be to choose people he could trust as advisors. Hiruzen smiled at the man in front of him. There were very rare occasions in his life when Hiruzen was able to get a rise out of his old rival.

"I can't simply speak about the validity or not of said rumor out in the middle of the street, Danzou, you know that. There is no need for concern, however." Danzou said nothing, motioning for Hiruzen to keep talking. The old leader, instead, just turned his back to the old war hawk and before walking once more, he finished the conversation. "…After all it's the current Hokage's prerogative to choose the successor. Have a nice evening." The Hokage didn't bother looking back as he knew his old rival would vanish instantly after the conversation. It was a nice day before his encounter. The day only improved seeing as he enjoyed upsetting the old war hawk. It didn't take long before Hiruzen entered the Sarutobi Compound.

* * *

**===next day===**

As soon as Hiruzen stepped foot inside his office, he gave orders to assemble five names for him, beginning with the genin Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Aburame Shino and Nara Shikamaru. He asked to reach Kakashi the same time as the genin. The reason being that the jounin will be at least three hours late, thus allowing the Hokage to handle some reports in between the meetings. Suddenly he stopped however, when one of the Anbu handled him four chunnin vests as well as the necessary documents concerning the genin's promotion to chunnin.

Nostalgia bombarded the Sandaime Hokage as he only now realized that he has done the same thing for the previous generation.

Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Fugaku, Aburame Shibi and Nara Shukaku all received their chunnin jackets from Hiruzen. Back then, Konoha was facing some dark times, thus forcing early promotions on a great majority of genin. These four were among them and faced a great load of intense battles, before becoming legends on their own. The first and most famous became the Yondaime Hokage and the other three became clan heads. Unfortunately, fate ended the lives of two of them, thus forcing the present generation to grow up alone. Sandaime was once more alerted by a knock on the door, before the present generation of genin marched inside. Sarutobi, at first, saw a glimpse of their respective fathers at their age entering this exact room.

"I called the four of you here for a very important long term assignment, one that will involve not only skill but bravery as well." The genin looked at each other for a while, wondering what this was all about to which the Hokage smiled and continued. "You four have displayed both in physical and in leadership skills that are consisted with this job. As such, it fills me with great pride in informing all four of you that from now on, you are chunnin of Konohagakure, congratulations." As he expected, the shocked looks were instantaneous, except for Shino as an Aburame rarely displayed any sort of outrageous emotion.

The initial shock lasted for a couple seconds, though.

Naruto and Sasuke smirked, before grabbing their vests. Sasuke wasn't interested in the promotion, but the tougher missions he would participate in now. He also realized that he made one step further into being strong enough to deal with his brother. Naruto was pleased because he was one step closer to becoming Hokage. He was giddy in excitement at the prospect of getting stronger by facing stronger foes. Shino, as an Aburame, considered his promotion as pure logic, considering how he performed in the Chunnin Exams as well as the invasion. Shikamaru just muttered the word troublesome, as both the Hokage and his father expected. Upon lining in front of the Hokage once more, only Shino wasn't using his vest.

"Wait…what was the meaning of that speech in the beginning. I thought you were talking about a mission, Jiji." Naruto questioned, earning a snicker from the Hokage.

"I was just merely explaining to you all what will be expected of you four now that you have been promoted. The Chunnin position requires responsibility above all else. Often times, you four will be leading missions either with fellow chunnin or genin. Logically, the missions you'll receive will increase in difficulty, but considering the obstacles you faced in the invasion, I'm pretty sure you guys will manage. Congratulations all of you. Now, except for Sasuke and Naruto, the rest is dismissed." Shino and Shikamaru simply turned and left the room, leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone with the Hokage.

"Now, you two will receive your first mission as chunnin right now. You two will be going with Jiraiya of the Sannin to help him find Senju Tsunade. Jiraiya will be expecting you two in two hours at the north gate. Once again, congratulations to you two and wear that vest with pride as you incorporate this village's Will of Fire. Now, you are dismissed." Hiruzen could see that Naruto was controlling himself and could only ascertain that Anko managed to drill in some manners. Now that he got that cleared, it was time to wait until Kakashi arrived.

* * *

**===Three hours later===**

The Hokage had just finished today's reports when smoke suddenly gathered in front of him. Kakashi appeared reading his orange book.

"Sorry Hokage-sama, but a black cat crossed my path, so I had to do a complete lap around the village before coming here." Now it was time for the first trap.

"Actually, you were right on time, Kakashi." The silver haired jounin sweat dropped, seeing that Hokage did everything on purpose. It was quite amusing. "First of all, I'd like to inform you that Sasuke and Naruto had already received their vests, before leaving with Jiraiya in order to search Tsunade." Upon hearing this, Kakashi showed a smile of pride for his students. Even if Naruto's promotion was solely because of Anko, he was proud of the blond. In only one month, he managed to cover a lot of obstacles and became a better shinobi.

"That's good, but you haven't called me here just for this, have you Sandaime-sama?" The predatory smile that appeared in front of him, made Kakashi shiver.

"Right you are Kakashi-kun. I called you here to announce that I will be stepping down from the position of Hokage and announcing you as my successor."

Oh if only Hiruzen had a camera to record the expression on Kakashi's face. The jounin's only visible eye widened to impossible proportions and he was babbling like an idiot, repeating the word 'Hokage' like a broken tape recorder.

Strangely so, he behaved exactly like his sensei, the Yondaime Hokage upon receiving the news.

* * *

**Author Note**

Well, that's it for now.

I had a great time writing the chapter from Hiruzen's perspective. So what do you think about it? I'd like to hear some input about my work so far. Please check it out.

See you all next time.


	7. Overcoming a curse

**Author Note**

Hello there and welcome to another Chapter of Accursed Brothers.

The website has been a buzz these last few days when it was announced that stories with high level of violence and sexual innuendo would be simply erased from the site, along with the author's profile page. It's kind of strange considering that according to the announcement; the measures sustaining this course of action went back to 2002. I mean, if such acts (heavy violence and sexual innuendo) were really frowned upon by the site, then actions like these would be taken a long time ago. Either way, I suppose it's a valid concern shared by the site to purify, let's say it like that, the content of the stories so that underage enthusiasts can read and not be induced to violence as I believe the website is concerned. However, I still have doubts regarding the website's actual concern in this matter. Either they are actually concerned that the younger audience will be influenced by the stories in which they wish to get rid of or they are concerned of a future persecution by allowing adult content in their stories. I've read some nice ideas from a friend Kingkakashi stating options to rid the website from future liabilities, such as reinstating the rate MA or even create waiver warnings before reading a story filled with adult content.

Kind of like the adult rated movies. Before the movies starts on television, a five second warning appears stating what is to be expected in the movie and whose audience the film is made for.

Being a writer myself, I can attest to other writer's concerns because of this new policy. Save from a few who actually creates nothing more than Naruto porn stories, writers place a lot of commitment to their stories, going as far as to waste a lot of their times, myself included, into new and exciting chapters. I'm sure anyone would be pissed if, after writing 500k words fiction, said fiction is simply erased because of a few words here or there that contain sexual references. Once more, save from those who merely write porn fictions with no actual relevance to the actual story, I believe that the website's actions are heavily frowned upon. I know of a petition going online with more than _**20.000**_ signatures so far. That must mean something! It comes with no surprise for me that the website is currently suffering from a severe lack of updates after the announcement. The writers aren't sure if their stories will be removed or not. I've already backed up my stories in my computer. So, without further a due, I conclude this message asking to come up with different and more effective measures to prevent young readers from having access to adult rated content fictions as well as prevent the exodus of incredible authors from the website.

Now that that's done, let's proceed with the story.

My idea of doing a chapter centered on the Third Hokage was greatly approved by my audience. The idea came to me, because all my stories are focused on Naruto and his perspective on the events. With Sarutobi being alive after the invasion, the entire repercussion of the invasion is centered on him and him alone as the village leader. Being considered the god of shinobi, I decided to focus more on his human side. How he blamed himself for the invasion because he allowed Orochimaru to live after finding out what the person he considered a son was experimenting on. Moving that aside, Sarutobi made a lot of changes to the hospital by nominating Tsunade as the head manager. He assigned the Anbu commander in order to fix the holes in the village's scout missions. After that, he promoted Naruto, Sasuke, Shino, Shikamaru and Kakashi, the latter to the position of Godaime Hokage. Now, Jiraiya has set out with both Naruto and Sasuke towards retrieving Tsunade.

Wonder what will happen now that Orochimaru doesn't need to find Tsunade.

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Overcoming a curse**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

When the sun rose once more in Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen's set of measures were announced to the majority. He went public about every choice he had; Chunnin promotions, changes to the health care in the village by nominating Senju Tsunade as the head doctor of the hospital followed by better efficiency in scouting missions. While many would question the man's decision about promoting the Kyuubi brat to Chunnin, no one dared to openly oppose, seeing as the brat's efforts in the invasion managed to save the academy from a group of sound ninjas. The boy had also the backing of many elite shinobi in the likes of Hatake Kakashi and the head of the Nara Clan, Shikaku. Not to mention the backing of an Anbu captain, who saw his skill with the sword.

Hiruzen knew that his last announcement would shock everyone, especially his war hawk rival Danzou.

When he stated that he would step down as Hokage and nominate Hatake Kakashi for the job, he had received a load of different responses. Many in Konoha respected Kakashi for his achievements at the last great ninja war, so a great majority of the ninja population approved the nomination. Surely, the clan heads were in favor of the son of white fang. While neither of them wished the Sandaime Hokage to retire, they all knew the problems old age can do to a shinobi, even someone as powerful as Hiruzen Sarutobi, taught by both the previous Hokage. When the Yondaime Hokage took the hat, he solidified the village as most powerful of the elemental nations. The clan heads were sure that Kakashi, despite his apparent boredom with everything around, would do well as Godaime Hokage. Kakashi even received backing from his old genin team, even if two of them were already chunnin and about to embark on a journey with his sensei's teacher Jiraiya.

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto congratulated their sensei for the position. They were quite sad that Kakashi wouldn't be training with them anymore, to which Kakashi smiled.

"Naruto and Sasuke, you two are chunnin now. Your skills will only skyrocket now that you have access to higher level missions and higher level jutsu to learn." He smiled at both of them, before dismissing them since they had to meet up with Jiraiya in a few minutes. Kakashi could see Sakura's dejected look upon not being praised by her sensei like the other two were. "Sakura, just because circumstances didn't allow you to show your skills last chunnin exams, doesn't mean you won't have the opportunity in the next ones. Seeing as Aburame Shino was promoted to chunnin as well, Kurenai's team is short of one member. I'm placing you under her care."

It didn't help improve her mood at all.

"I understand sensei." Kakashi smiled at the girl, before placing one hand on her right shoulder.

"Sakura, after seeing your perfect chakra control, I believe you're best suited to become a genjutsu user and Kurenai happens to be one of Konoha's masters in the field. Thus, I placed you under her care. I know that you will do great and she will be a better teacher to you than I ever was. Also, I was wondering if you would be interested in learning medical ninjutsu?" The question surprised the girl as she looked up the first time today. "If Naruto and Sasuke are successful in bringing Tsunade-sama back, she will be responsible for creating a new batch of field medic-nin in Konoha. From what Sandaime told me, it was one of her side projects when she was in Konoha. What do you think? I have a feeling that you can become just as great as her in the field."

"You really think I can be as good as a sannin, sensei?" Kakashi could only smile at the question filled with hope.

"Yes I do, Sakura. In fact, I believe that you, Sasuke and Naruto can easily become the next generation of the sannin. I must warn you, though. Both fields – genjutsu and medical ninjutsu – are quite theory demanding. You must work hard in order to grasp every single detail there is to know about these two arts. If you manage, which I have utmost faith you will, I can promise you will become just as good as Tsunade of the Sannin is, if not better." By now, Sakura's mood was definitely better and she nodded with a big smile on her face.

"I'll make you proud of me, sensei."

"I already am, Sakura. I already am. Now you are to meet Kurenai at Training Ground number 8, two hours from now, for your team meeting. Work hard and always listen to what Kurenai has to teach you. I promise you will do great under her tutelage." Sakura nodded and said goodbye to the new Hokage. Kakashi watched the girl leaving with a smile on his face. Despite his wishes to simply increase the girl's confidence, he didn't mislead her in any way. Despite her small chakra reserves, Sakura had it in her to become a great kunoichi in the future, possibly even matching Tsunade if she worked really hard. Sandaime Hokage was remarked in history both for his achievements and his students. Orochimaru, Tsunade and Jiraiya were game changers in the second great ninja war. Perhaps, Kakashi could be remembered as the one who taught the second generation of the Sannin.

* * *

**===Naruto, Jiraiya and Sasuke===**

Naruto and Sasuke met up with Jiraiya at the gates. They exchanged a few words introducing each other, before heading out.

"Okay brats, as the Sandaime instructed, you two will aid me in finding my teammate Tsunade and convince her to come back to Konoha. I don't know how long it will take to find her, so let's go. Since we don't have a specific time frame to complete this mission, we can do other things as well as search for her. I'll be focusing on training you two in the mean time." Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other for a while, before nodding in clear anticipation. The man may look nothing special to both chunnin, but both of them knew his status as one of the sannin. So, they started following the perverted sannin towards his quest to finding his lost teammate and bring her back.

When the trip towards finding his teammate started, Jiraiya admitted to not having a clue as what to expect from the two chunnin that were now accompanying him.

He had heard from third parties how hyperactive and obnoxious his godson was and he also knew how arrogant Uchiha Sasuke was regarding others. It came out as a surprise to the man when neither chunnin acted as he expected. He understood from the Hokage that both Naruto and Sasuke had their fair share of kills in the invasion, thus he understood at least part of the reason why Naruto and Sasuke were so reserved, actually being quiet for a change. It has been four hours since they left the hidden village in the leaves and Jiraiya had set a couple exercises for both chunnin. Like his sensei expected, both younger shinobi were thrilled to improve. Naruto received tips on how to improve his taijutsu and kenjutsu, as well as refining his wind manipulation. Sasuke was taught a couple of higher ranked fire techniques. The trip didn't have a specific time set, so it could either take one week to an entire month, perhaps even more.

Jiraiya even placed them against each other from time to time, supplying tips here and there. Sasuke had more agility, but Naruto was stronger, ending with them balancing each other.

One peculiar aspect of Naruto's taijutsu is that his body pretty much reacted on its own when it was supposed to evade Sasuke's blows. Sasuke even attempted to activate the sharingan, but for some reason, he just couldn't get a solid hit on Naruto. If the pervert knew Mitarashi Anko correctly, then Naruto's evasion may be due to Anko using the brat as a practice dummy for the entire month. Eventually, he would need to learn how to evade properly or die otherwise. Sasuke, though, considered just another challenge and everyone knew how infuriated he became when he couldn't complete an exercise. He even increased his speed, but Naruto trained with a jounin. Sasuke needed to match Anko's speed or even surpass it in order to land a hit on Naruto. Meanwhile, Naruto was getting the opportunity to practice his taijutsu skills against Sasuke. Granted that the teme's sharingan managed to follow his every move, he knew that if he could face the sharingan in straight combat, then he would manage to face anyone else with a much improved odds of success. Since Sasuke didn't have a sword, Jiraiya forbade them from sparring using it.

He also forbade the pair from activating the cursed seal while practicing. Of course Sasuke protested for a while, but relented due to the amount of fire techniques he was being taught. Naruto, on the way, chose to perform the movements learned by Anko while travelling. Since he could focus wind chakra throughout the metal, he ended up training on elemental manipulation as well. Jiraiya had supplied Naruto some exercises as well, saying that Naruto must first master the element manipulation exercises before learning any of the wind jutsu the sannin was familiar with.

After practicing for a while, Naruto looked to Sasuke and stopped his practice, when he noticed that Sasuke was looking at him with his doujutsu activated.

"Oi teme, do you mind not copying it? I worked my ass off to learn these moves and I will be damned if I let you copy it with those eyes of yours." It was by sheer luck that the blond was only performing the most basic movements, or else he would lose his edge over Sasuke. The Uchiha, for his turn, snorted at that and deactivated his eyes as the trio was busy walking throughout the clearing. Jiraiya found the interaction quite amusing. He was beginning to see just why the Hokage wished to place these two together in future assignments. He was surprised, though, when Naruto approached him with his sword inside the scabbard. "Ero-sensei, do you know where this Tsunade person is? How long is this trip going to take exactly?" Sasuke was busy going through the sequence of hand seals for the _**Dai Endan**_ (Grand Fireball) technique, seeing as the sannin wasn't interested in performing the technique for him to copy.

Looking at the blond brat, Jiraiya frowned at the nickname, but answered nonetheless.

"Tsunade-hime is quite slippery, brat. It's hard to track her movements. I know which city she is in all the time, but she always manages to leave before I arrive. It's quite infuriating, actually. Until we find her and convince her to come back to Konoha, this mission will go on, meaning it could go on for a couple of months, depending on how long it takes for us to find her. Now, you two brats must take this opportunity and stop complaining. It's after all an honor to be trained by the almighty Jiraiya of the Sannin." The pervert even made his trademark pose, earning a sigh in dismay from the chunnin in front of him. Four hours into this trip and it was the third time Jiraiya showed them the pose.

When it was clear that the chunnin weren't impressed, Jiraiya scowled at them complaining about the young's lack of respect.

"Ok brats, from what I heard from your files, you two have elements that focus mainly on offensive. You two lack a good defensive jutsu." He could see that neither were very interested in which made him frown. "Defense techniques are useful in the battlefield, brats. There will be times when you can't anticipate everything in the middle of the fight and a kunai pierces your chest. Trust me when I say that neither of you would survive too long in a full scale war. Now, I will teach you two a relatively easy jutsu that can very well save your lives as well as the life of your comrades in the future. Tell me how familiar you are with kekkai (barrier) techniques?"

Jiraiya had to smirk at their dumbfounded looks in response.

"Rumored to be created by the Rikudou Sennin, Kekkai techniques serve both for defensive and tracking purposes. We'll focus with defensive type technique and I'll teach you two a technique called _**Kekkai Tengai Houjin**_ (Barrier Technique: Dome Method Formation). While not as strong as the Hyuuga's Kaiten, this technique can stop projectiles thrown at mid to long range. It can stop also projectiles from close range, but it requires a lot more chakra to sustain a considerable barrier. Don't even consider using it against elemental techniques. It won't hold no matter how much chakra you use. If you wish to stop elemental techniques, either you learn water or earth manipulation, the two elements that are better suited for defense. Now, this barrier technique is simple in theory, but hard to master. Simply join both hands as if you're praying and release chakra through every tenketsu in your body at the same time."

Of course the first attempts were quite pitiful, but Jiraiya considered that the two had enough training to finish.

They would master it eventually, though.

In a couple hours time, they would set up camp for the night. Neither of them was in any rush to find Tsunade and Jiraiya figured that both Sasuke and Naruto could use a little vacation after the invasion.

* * *

**===In Konoha===**

The village was quite busy with the necessary reparations because of the invasion. Shinobi and kunoichi from all ranks were busy going through some chores in order to assist the village in every way possible. That's why two individuals wearing black robes with red clouds were standing on top of the wall that protected the village from its enemies pretty much unnoticed. The big one had a strange object strapped on his back wrapped by white bandages. Despite the bamboo hats covering their faces, the bigger man's amusement was quite clear at the sight before him.

"Konoha has suffered quite the blow, doesn't it? Oh how the mighty have fallen."

His amusement was even more pronounced when he saw that his partner hadn't uttered a single word upon seeing his home land destroyed.

"Let's go."

Swiftly vanishing from their position, the two individuals quietly walked inside the village, before dispersing towards the Merchant district. Watching them doing it may seem as if entering announced inside the strongest hidden village was nothing more than a walk in the park. However, had they wasted two more seconds, both would be caught by the Anbu patrol that appeared where the two men were standing. Their purpose in Konoha was to find a certain shinobi. A genin by the records obtained from their spy and a lousy one at that. From what they learned by the mission specs, it wouldn't take long for their target to show in their line of sight. According to the spy, the shinobi, if they could call him that based on the Intel, wore orange base clothes and was a master of directing all the attention to him and him only. However, after walking close to two hours throughout the village, there was no sign of their target anywhere.

"Assuming that he isn't dead, I believe he is not in the village." Spoke the tallest, earning a slight nod from the smallest.

"We may as well leave the area, then. I'll give fifteen seconds before our disguise is blown." The smallest one, being a local, possessed extensive knowledge of the village's defenses. They were out of the village before anyone knew they were even there to begin with. If they are lucky enough, the jinchuuriki's chakra residue would guide them towards his location.

* * *

**===At the Hokage's Office===**

Unaware of exactly who was taking a walk inside the village, both Hiruzen and Kakashi were busy going through some of the routine that entailed being the Hokage. No matter how many hours the two were at it, Hiruzen couldn't help but smile at the prospect of not having to deal with this dreaded paperwork anymore. Plus the fact that Kakashi, since two hours ago, started murmuring silent curses every time a new topic appeared was much too entertaining for the old man. Minato was the same, Hiruzen mused. Hiruzen's case was worse, seeing as he was nominated Sandaime Hokage in the middle of a mission with the Nidaime Hokage. The man sacrificed himself to allow Hiruzen and others to return to Konoha.

"Stop complaining, Kakashi-kun. In my time, the Nidaime wasn't able to do this with me. I had to teach everything myself." Despite knowing about this, Kakashi couldn't help himself.

"Right now, my body is complaining on auto-pilot, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen let out a long warm laugher at hearing this.

"Now you know why I thought twice before taking over once Minato perished. Ok, now let's go through the list of Anbu shinobi and their skills. It will be your job to memorize every shinobi in Konoha, starting from your personal guards." Like Kakashi said prior, even before he nodded his head, his mouth was already full of curse words. As they went through the different branches of the Anbu Special Forces, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder how none of the Hokage became insane.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

It was already night time so Jiraiya ushered his chunnin companions to set up camp as well as some traps hidden around the camp site.

The barrier technique both were attempting ended up not being as easy. Sasuke had already given up trying to complete it, stating with a bit of arrogance that he didn't need to learn defensive techniques because his sharingan could pinpoint the attacks on his person. Jiraiya accepted it quite quick, not really seeing himself convincing the pompous doujutsu user that he should try harder. In all aspects, Sasuke was more inclined for elemental ninjutsu, so besides the fire technique he has shown the kid, he might as well improve on his lightning manipulation. Naruto, though, was a very welcomed surprise to the perverted sannin. Although his kekkai technique wasn't complete, Jiraiya could already see a faint trace of the barrier surrounding the blond, meaning that Naruto was closer to mastering the jutsu. Jiraiya was actually counting on this; however, seeing as the technique requires large amounts of chakra to perform.

Not to mention the fact that kekkai techniques are similar in knowledge to a more powerful and more obscure art known as fuuinjutsu. Considering Naruto's father and mother's mastery in seals, Jiraiya had no doubt that the boy would inherit the same taste. Perhaps Jiraiya could teach the brat some tips on seals. There was one more kekkai technique that a lot of jounins enjoyed using called _**Kekkai Houjin no Jutsu**__ (Barrier Method Battle Array)_. Coming to think about it, it would suit Naruto's unpredictable way of fighting. Right now, the three shinobi were sitting around the fire while having dinner. Sasuke, while eating, was watching Naruto's cursed mark in question. Ever since they left towards searching for Tsunade, he caught on the fact that Naruto's cursed mark, while a different shape, was also a different color than his was. He had actually caught on that at the forest of death, but never bothered to question his teammate about why his cursed seal was different.

"Dobe..." Naruto looked up when he heard Sasuke calling him. "Why is it that your cursed seal is red when mine is black?"

Standing on the other side of the fire, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at the question and remembered Naruto explaining the reason why his seal happened to be red. While Sasuke's question wasn't directed towards the S-ranked secret of Naruto's status, the answer to the question certainly would. Nevertheless, the law applied to everyone but Naruto. Being a chunnin, Jiraiya reasoned that if the brat wished to talk about his situation more freely with his teammates, then he was hereby welcomed to do so. The perverted sannin admitted being a little hesitant in wondering what would Naruto's answer be and Sasuke's reaction afterward. Naruto looked at his teammate for a couple of seconds, debating whether or not he should tell the truth or invent something to ease Sasuke's curiosity. Truth be told, he doubted the teme would react negatively to the knowledge and it would actually be quite a relief if he managed to get it out of his system.

Being a veteran shinobi, Jiraiya released a small sigh as he realized that Naruto would open up to Sasuke about his situation. A part of him still considered it too soon, though.

"Before answering your question, Sasuke, I want to know how much do you know about the Kyuubi no Yoko?" Sasuke was slightly surprised at the second question, but gave his teammate everything that was written about the attack on the village that happened thirteen years ago. After questioning what the Kyuubi had to do with his first question, Naruto sighed and explained. "Before I explain the reason of my seal being a different color, I will tell you the real truth of what happened thirteen years ago." Sasuke's eyes were narrowed immediately, pretty much demanding an explanation. "The academy taught us that the beast was destroyed by the Yondaime Hokage at the cost of his own life, correct? Only that was only the partial truth. The Kyuubi is nothing but a highly condensed and I dare say unlimited source of chakra. Thus, it cannot be killed or harmed. In order to save the village, the Yondaime Hokage had no other option but no sacrifice his life using a forbidden fuujinjutsu technique and sealing the beast into a newborn….me."

Sasuke's eyebrows were still narrowed, but for only for a little while, before his eyes were widened in surprise.

Sasuke remembered the time in the forest of death when they were facing Orochimaru. At the time, Naruto was being thrashed by the sannin when suddenly an evil aura surrounded his teammate, even stronger than the one emitted by the enemy. Sasuke remembered Naruto's red eyes looking back at him that day. At the time, he wondered what the hell was that all about. His brain worked hard and started dwelling in Sasuke's earliest memories of his teammate when they were both academy students.

Memories of the person in front of him being treated badly by the villagers, cursing him immediately appeared in his mind. _Demon scum…die demon die…I can't believe they let the demon roam free like this. _He remembered his parents looking at the infant Naruto with clear hatred in their eyes, often times joining the mob in cursing Naruto. For some reason, the memory escaped Sasuke's mind until now. After Itachi murdered his clan, Sasuke had bumped with Naruto a couple times and he remembered not seeing why people treated him that way. He did nothing but smile stupidly at everyone, proclaiming to everyone how everyone would respect him for he was one day. Naruto for his part could see Sasuke's eyes were lost in focus, meaning he was remembering events long repressed because the Uchiha Clan massacre. Naruto was still wondering if perhaps Sasuke would treat him like everyone else.

"Why did they hide the truth?"

Sasuke's question was more directed towards Jiraiya, but Naruto explained it nonetheless. He was slightly hopeful when Sasuke didn't outright attack him or curse him.

"Sandaime-Jiji believed that the grownups could tell their children their side of the story and thus turn them against me as well. By issuing a law prohibiting anyone to talk about the truth, he hoped that I would have a normal childhood if none of our classmates knew about it. Unfortunately, the plan backfired. While they couldn't explain what really happened to the next generation, they certainly could tell the children not to associate with me, merely saying I was a bad influence." Sasuke indeed remembered both his father and his mother telling him exactly that. He looked at his teammate in deep consideration for a while, wondering about something. Based on the events that surrounded his family, Sasuke ended up inclining to believe that whatever his parents did or didn't do was justified. Often times the boy would lash out at anyone who would oppose that statement.

However, now that he heard the truth about the Kyuubi, he became intrigued as to why their parents blamed the dobe because of the atrocities committed by the nine tailed demon. Naruto may be annoying as hell, but no matter how many times he observed the blond, he couldn't see Naruto suddenly destroying everything in its path, ripping human flesh or even any of the atrocities Kyuubi had committed thirteen years ago. He was still the dobe to Sasuke, demon inside of him or not.

"Even if what you're speaking is true, I just don't see you as a demon. You are a dobe and always will be one in my eyes." Naruto couldn't help but smirk at the proclamation. He supposed he should have expected Sasuke to act like this. Jiraiya smirked at this as well and returned to his notes about things in general, going from Intel gathering and his personal hobby consisting of adult rated novels. He was glad that the Uchiha didn't see much into it. Probably so, because Sasuke only heard stories of the fox while the older generation actually witnessed the fox's majestic power, which could only be compared to its terrible atrocities. Naruto, for his part, was deeply satisfied that his rival couldn't care less about the fox. Sasuke, though, appeared to speak once more.

"However, you still haven't answered my question. While is your seal red? Is it because of the fox?" Naruto nodded.

"Soon after the damn pedophile gave us a hickey…" To this, Jiraiya started laughing and Sasuke shuddered. "I'd lost consciousness and was immediately inside my mindscape meeting with the beast for the first time. The seal, back then, while different in shape than yours, was also black. According to the fur ball, he could sense that while the seal contained a lot of power, it also contained an attachment to its creator, which the fox believed that Orochimaru could use it to control us in the future. After stating this, I saw the fox's red chakra travelling to the seal engraving and mixing with the black ink. When I looked once more, the seal was red and according to the fox, Orochimaru's control over me was extinguished, leaving only the power that comes from the seal."

Sasuke was deep in thought over this. He wasn't one to refuse power when someone handed it to him, but he wasn't very thrilled about being manipulated by a snake.

"I may be crazy about even asking this, dobe, but can the fox do the same thing to mine?" Both Naruto and Jiraiya were immediately unease with the sudden question.

"Kyuubi's chakra, I was told, was corrosive to others, hence how many people died just by being close to the damn beast. I'm immune because the bastard is currently paying rent. I…" Before Naruto could finish his explanation, he suddenly heard a deep and menacing growl emanating inside his head. He closed his eyes for a moment, startling both Sasuke and Jiraiya, the latter already considering his alternative if Kyuubi attempts to escape from Naruto. When his eyes were opened, they were startled to see red eyes instead of blue and a red energy cloak surrounding Naruto's body. Jiraiya was about to move forward and deal with Naruto when the brat spoke in a calm yet deeper voice than usual.

"Kyuubi said he could grant you this favor, but the procedure is quite painful. He even smirked when he said so, so I would think twice about it." The Uchiha snorted.

"Unless it kills me, I'm not worried about pain if it means I'll get stronger. Just do it already."

Jiraiya watched the exchange carefully. He now realized the two chunnin were treading a dangerous path right now. He could stop this from happening, but if Naruto was right and he managed to rid Sasuke of Orochimaru's control, the sannin would lose his battle in acquiring the sharingan. He was gambling big here and he knew that should anything happen to Sasuke, he would be the one to blame. He watched as Naruto focused all the Kyuubi's chakra in just his two fingers and approached the black cursed seal of heaven located in Sasuke's neck. He could attest that despite his bravery, Sasuke's face was filled with sweat. No doubt, it was due to being around the fox's concentrated chakra. It is after all filled with malice and hatred, hence why it's so hard to be controlled. When Naruto's fingers touched the seal, two things happened at the same time. The red cloak enveloped Sasuke's entire body and because of the fox's chakra being corrosive, Sasuke felt as if his body was literally combusting.

In between all the pain, Sasuke couldn't help but snarl as he focused all his hatred for Itachi in order to withstand the pain. Naruto and Jiraiya could see the seal going from black to red.

The Uchiha screamed in complete agony for five minutes, before fainting on the ground because of the unbearable pain.

After making sure that the Uchiha was comfortable, Jiraiya and Naruto returned to the fireplace. The pervert was pretty relieved that nothing bad happened to the Uchiha or else his sensei wouldn't stop blaming him for it. Looking at the conscious chunnin eating from his bowl, Jiraiya figured that now it would be the time to teach the boy his father's prized technique, the Rasengan. Jiraiya considered telling Naruto the technique before, but he realized that perhaps Sasuke would like to be taught as well. This technique was meant to be passed to Naruto as it is his inheritance. Smiling, the sannin grabbed a small scroll and approached Naruto who had finished eating dinner.

"After you finish dinner, I'll teach you a very powerful technique." The boy nodded all too eager to learn new techniques.

"Awesome! I think I almost getting the hang of the kekkai technique. For some reason, though, I thought it would take much longer. Now, what is this technique about?" Naruto asked, before Jiraiya merely smirked and extended his right hand and opened his palm.

Naruto was shocked to see a swirl of energy being gathered on Jiraiya's palm, before a bright blue energy ball appeared.

"This is the **Rasengan**, Naruto. One of the techniques created by the Yondaime Hokage and one that made him infamous throughout the last great ninja war. Because of your chakra capacity and the fact that you excel in close to mid-range fighting, this technique is perfect for you. However, unlike all the other techniques I've taught you so far, to learn the Rasengan, it will take a long time for you to use it efficiently." Jiraiya smirked as the blond looked at the swirling ball of energy in utmost fascination. He was glad the brat wasn't asking questions as to why Jiraiya was teaching him one of the Yondaime's techniques like he did when Jiraiya offered him the summoning contract for the toads. Naruto worshipped the Yondaime Hokage the most, so anything even sort of related to the man himself would completely catch his attention. When Naruto's attention went back to Jiraiya, the pervert began instructing Naruto about the first steps necessary to learn the technique.

While training, none of the two could ever foresee that in Naruto using the fox's chakra in Sasuke, it ended up changing everything in the Uchiha's life.

* * *

**===Inside Sasuke's dream===**

Ever since the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke Uchiha rarely managed to have a peaceful sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, the image of his brother killing his family tormented him to no end. The thing about Sasuke's nightmare is that it's just a repetition of what already happened, not some unjustified fear or even something that was fabricated by one's mind based on these fears. That happened to be one of the reasons why the boy was cranky pretty much every day. He didn't know what Itachi did to him, but every time he closed his eyes, the same nightmare appeared. Strangely so, after he succumbed to the pain of receiving a tiny bit of the fox's chakra running through his system, his dream was different. It started pretty much the same. He would open his eyes and see his father and his mother having fun inside their house. However, while first Itachi would appear and slaughter them, now Sasuke was seen walking on the streets with his parents, when a mob finally appears up ahead. When the Uchiha family goes to see what is happening, Sasuke is surprised to see Naruto surrounded by people cursing him calling him all sorts of names. He could see a strange shadow below the blond, of nine tails swirling around each other.

What was strange was how Naruto was taking all this.

It was a look he rarely saw in his teammate. Scratch that, it was a look he had never seen his teammate. Naruto was quiet, looking at the mob with his eyes narrowed as if he was expecting someone to attack him any time. Somehow, Sasuke couldn't believe that this Naruto and the one he knew were the same person. A part of Sasuke told him that he was accustomed with seeing Naruto smiling like a goofy idiot all the time, hence why seeing a different behavior was strange. However, something in Sasuke was telling him that perhaps Naruto, the real Naruto, was standing in front of him, looking at everyone surrounding him as if they were the enemy and he was the one surrounded. Sasuke watched as the mob of villagers did nothing but throw curses at Naruto, some even threatening to throw rocks at him just for being there. Sasuke looked at his mother and father wondering if they shouldn't do anything about this, seeing as his father was chief of the Police Force. Strangely so, Sasuke could see a smile from his father. He could see that Fugaku was enjoying how Naruto was being treated. Sasuke's mother was as well. Suddenly, a small fire appeared inside Sasuke's brain, representing a small and quite intriguing thought.

If what they say was true and Naruto was the fox incarnated, then why was the dobe simply standing there not doing anything against this hatred? Why wasn't he fighting back somehow?

Sasuke was surprised when Naruto suddenly looked straight at him and smiled warmly at him. Naruto, then, simply turned his back to the mob and started walking away. If he was the fox, no doubt he would not let this treatment slide and would've attacked them all. The image now faded and Sasuke now saw himself seating in front of a nice stream that was located near his house. The Uchiha remembered how he would come to this place every day he felt depressed upon remembering the death of his family. The sun was setting on the horizon, painting the sky in a smoothing orange hue that seemed to calm even the most troubled souls. From the corner of his eye, he could see a kid observing him from up the small hill. Looking up, he could see Naruto looking at him fiercely just like he did all the time. Their rivalry pretty much compelled them to look at each other like that. However, Naruto smiled at him all of a sudden, pretty much forcing the stoic Uchiha to smile as well. Besides the rivalry, there was something in that smile that Sasuke could feel.

It was companionship.

Sasuke had his entire family killed at the acts of one person and Naruto had suffered the hatred from everyone in the village who had at least one loved one killed by the hands of the fox. To this day, Sasuke couldn't stand those around him. They all smiled, they all enjoyed their happy go lucky lives, blissfully unaware of what is like to have a shitty life. He now saw that another person his age suffered as well. Despite not acting on his hatred like Sasuke does, the Uchiha couldn't deny that the blond had suffered immensely as well. Now that he thought about it, he always knew that Naruto was an orphan. He was alone in the world and pretty much the entire village was against him for something he wasn't even born when it happened. Sasuke was completely blinded by his hatred that nothing else mattered to the Sharingan user. Perhaps…perhaps, Naruto could be the one person he could give his trust.

Once more, Sasuke was in front of the stream smiling just like he smiled when he saw his family together.

* * *

**===the next day===**

When the Uchiha opened his eyes, he was alerted to the sound of metal hitting metal outside and opened his tent. He saw Naruto using his kodachi against Jiraiya's kunai and saw how proficient the blond was with the sword. Sasuke looked at the blond for a while and smiled. If the dobe had a sword as well, then Sasuke would have one as well. There was no sense in not competing on the same abilities. He knew from Jiraiya that the next town they would search for was Crater City. He remembered visiting it once with his mother, thus he knew that the town had a good load of ninja stores for him to find a sword that suits him. Sasuke was surprised when Jiraiya threw some shuriken at Naruto and saw the blond performing the kekkai technique they were taught. Only that Naruto's barrier was now fully visible for the naked eye and it managed to stop the projectiles. The usual wave of jealousy of seeing the dobe outdoing him wasn't there anymore, or at least wasn't making him angry.

There were skills that Naruto possessed that Sasuke couldn't hope to match. Also, there were skills that Sasuke possessed, that Naruto couldn't hope to match as well. Their rivalry was to see who managed to win in a full out battle, with Sasuke using his tricks and Naruto using his own.

After Sasuke told the two that nothing happened to him, they packed their bags and marched towards the next city. Once they arrived in Crater City, Jiraiya showed a photo of Tsunade to the chunnin and told them to look around. Meanwhile, he would be visiting one of his contacts. Naruto looked at the man leaving a happy smile on his face and imagined just what the pervert was craving for. He looked at Sasuke and could see something new in the boy. His shoulder was slightly more relaxed and the Uchiha's face was more at ease.

They started walking around town and surprisingly so, Sasuke ushered them to a few ninja stores, saying that he needed to purchase a few items. After entering a couple of ninja stores, the Uchiha left with a completely changed wardrobe. He replaced his black shorts for black Anbu style pants added by kunai holsters attached to his thigh. He also acquired some dark blue short sleeved shirts and fishnet shirt to go beneath the blue shirts that happened to possess the Uchiha clan symbol on the right sleeve. Naruto found it strange that Sasuke looked at some swords in the stories, but didn't purchase any of them.

"Oi teme..." Naruto called Sasuke up front, making him stop and look back. "Why the sudden change in wardrobe? What was wrong with the old one?" The Uchiha just shrugged, though.

"Nothing wrong dobe...just figured that I need to change some things, that's all. Now I need to find a suitable sword for me as well." Something was definitely strange.

"What was wrong with the ones you saw at the stores?" Sasuke snorted at the question and resumed walking.

"Those were fine, but I need something else than just a sword. I remember my father telling that there were swords out there that were forged with chakra conductive metal." Naruto found it surprising that it was the first time Sasuke ever said something about his family that didn't mean killing his brother or resurrecting his clan. The chunnin walked some more, before Sasuke stopped in front of a store that lacked the proper advertising instruments. The store was plain. No products were displayed up front. For some reason, Sasuke felt that this was the store he was looking for. Once he got inside, the chunnin frowned since they couldn't see any product inside. They only saw a balcony in the middle of the store and a man dozing off inside the balcony. The man was relatively short to be called a man. He wore a white kimono and black sandals. He was snoring, showing his customers that the lack of audience in the store made him sleepy. As far as first appearances, this store wouldn't be approved. When Sasuke cleared his throat, the store owner opened one eye slightly, wondering who the hell would wake him up. He could see two individuals, one blond and one with black hair, looking at him. He could see the Konoha insignia and immediately shot up from his bench.

"What can I do for you two?" Naruto immediately frowned. In all the stores, the vendors had a huge smile on their faces so that the customers would buy their products. This guy asked as if the customers were bothering him. Sasuke merely smirked, though.

"I was looking for a sword and I was hoping to check your merchandise, sir." The store owner grunted.

"What makes you think I even sell swords, young man? As you can see, there is nothing here." Now Sasuke was smiling from ear to ear at his question. It was the very same reason why he was interested in the shop.

"There are lots of them hidden inside a genjutsu; I just didn't release it because it's not my store." Naruto was surprised immediately and so was the owner. However, the owner was even more surprised when Sasuke's eyes morphed into the all famous Sharingan. The store owner smirked at the boy in front of him and deactivated the genjutsu immediately. Rows after rows of fine weaponry appeared throughout the shop. Naruto was immediately drawn to the weaponry displayed in the shop, seeing one by one while marveling at its quality. Grabbing a katana, he was amazed at how light it was compared to its quality. Sasuke, though, simply stayed with the vendor.

"I wish for you to forge me a new weapon; can you do it for me?" The vendor nodded, but wanted to clarify something.

"Of course I can, kid. From where I came from, Iron Country, sword forging is our specialty. However, before we go through with the specifics, how come you're interested in my shop instead of the others?"

"Seeing as you casted a genjutsu in order to hide your products, I assume that your products are unique and that's the quality I seek in the weapon I choose. From what I could see from the sword displayed, they are made with a special type of iron, chakra conductive material, am I right?" The vendor nodded with a smile on his face. Indeed the reason why he hid his weapons was to search for special customers. An Uchiha was a special customer. Plus, he could feel something in the kid that made him wish to see more. Quickly grabbing a small notebook inside the balcony, he quickly observed his customer.

"Okay, now that I'm satisfied, how about we make that sword for you. From what I know of the Uchiha shinobi, you favor speed and agility above strength, so a strong sword like a katana is out of the question. Small swords like a tanto and a wakizashi just wouldn't suffice as well; a ninjato, perhaps." Sasuke nodded, since he was craving for one Anbu used in Konoha. The owner continued writing the order. "Yes, ninjato will be then; fast like a wakizashi and powerful like a katana. I will make it with chakra conductive iron of course for you to be able to channel chakra into it and thus make the sword stronger. Easy to make, by tonight it shall be done. Now, do you wish something extra on the sword, an engraving, perhaps?" Sasuke said no and the man gave him the price. While it wasn't expensive, it wasn't cheap either. However, the special iron was expensive, so Sasuke handed him the money and turned to the weapon store to wait. The vendor saw the kodachi in Naruto's back.

"You young man, would you be interested in improving your sword's metal as well?" Naruto looked at his sword, before thinking. "I can make it stronger and more durable for you." It took a bit more, but Naruto was convinced.

"Sure thing, old man; here you go." When the vendor checked the sword, he noticed that the metal wasn't very damaged, which was surprising considering that from the look of the shinobi, he constantly used it. After a few times analyzing the sword, he could feel chakra residue coming out of the sword. After swinging the blade a bit, he was shocked to see that the blade's chakra managed to slice a few sets of paper on top of his balcony without even touching it. So the boy used wind chakra to the sword. This was interesting.

With his trademark iron, this piece of work will be so much better. He enjoyed his new customers and immediately went to the back of the shop to begin his work, but not before stating that the chunnin could hang out in his backyard while he was busy working on the swords. Naruto and Sasuke appreciated it and went towards the place to train a bit. Sasuke kept performing some fire and lightning jutsu, while Naruto was busy with his wind jutsu as well as the kekkai technique.

Four hours later, the vendor called his customers inside the shop since the swords were ready. Both chunnin took their respective weapon with great pride. Sasuke's ninjato was simple in design. The hilt was covered with soft black fabric, giving Sasuke more comfort when using it. The metal was shining, so was Naruto's kodachi. After appreciating the product and paying the total amount, both chunnin left the store hoping to find either Jiraiya or Tsunade.

* * *

**Author Note**

Okay, I'll stop right here. Because of Naruto, Sasuke no longer is bound to Orochimaru's control. Also, seeing as Sasuke is finally learning to look past this hatred and understand that Naruto was like him as well, their friendship and rivalry will increase at an alarming rate. I also gave Sasuke a sword, seeing as his style of swift battle favors it.

Next Chapter will be more action packed as the journey towards finding the last member of the sannin comes to an end.

Tell me what you think about it.

See ya next time.


	8. Playing hard to get

**Author Note**

Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Accursed Brothers.

First of all, I have noticed that few readers became upset with me taking another story, even if I have completed four already. While I understand how it feels to wait for the chapters to appear, I also know that I can't just dedicate my entire life to simply writing fan fiction, I do it as a hobby and I'll keep doing it, no matter the amount of complaints I hear about taking too long or taking on another story. What get me upset is that those who openly complain tend not to realize how long and hard it is to come up with different ideas, put in on paper and update the story. For that reason, I invite all (I won't say the names) to give it a shot and come up with your own fic. Perhaps, then, you'll know how it is and stop complaining.

Now, last chapter in Accursed Brothers, a major event happened with Naruto using the fox's chakra and injecting it inside Sasuke's cursed seal, making it stronger and without the bad repercussions. Kyuubi's chakra also helped the last loyal Uchiha to draw all his hatred and release it one go. You'll come to realize that Sasuke is now a changed person because of it. Whatever memory induced in Sasuke's brain by Itachi's Mangenkyou is now gone. With that, he became more open, thus reverting to his older self before the massacre. With that mindset, the Uchiha now sought to improve himself together with Naruto, even acquiring a ninjato capable of channeling elemental chakra. Aside from that, the two newly appointed chunnin are being trained by Jiraiya extensively to overcome their enemies. One thing almost everyone criticized last chapter was the time taken to forge the sword and I admit that it's impossible for a sword to be forged in only four hours. Let's just assume the man is a super blacksmith and leave it at that, it's not like I'll focus much on him or any amount at all for that manner.

So, without further a due, here is the next chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Playing hard to get**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

Hatake Kakashi had awakened this morning with a powerful headache, given the amount of info he had covered together with the Sandaime Hokage so far.

As he closed the door to his apartment, he thought about inventing something and not attending the meeting with the Sandaime. He sighed at that thought as he saw the number of shadows that now followed his every move. It was unnerving actually. Before, no one cared where he went or how late he was to a meeting or two. Now, though, he had the entire Anbu army on his back following his every move. Kakashi wanted to pay a visit to the Memorial Stone and ask for Sensei's advice. However, in doing so, he would be late to the appointment. Said appointment that Hiruzen promised would be different than the others so far, filled with nothing but politics, both inside and outside Konoha and Fire Country, economics and finances, controlling the incomes received by the missions and staff managing, not to mention the shinobi force that he was forced to memorize every single shinobi enlisted.

As he arrived inside the Hokage's Building and moved towards his soon to be office, a shadow suddenly materialized in front of him and pointed to the right direction that happened to be a secret stairwell.

The stairs were dark and it didn't take one minute before Kakashi saw his predecessor in the middle of a room filled with scrolls and holding a candle.

"Ah welcome Kakashi-kun…I'm surprised to see you here so soon. I was imagining that you would pay a small visit before coming here." Kakashi looked at Hiruzen, silently questioning if the man before him was a mind reader.

"I like to be alone when I do visit them Hokage-sama. I'm still not used to be followed by a squad of Anbu at all times." He wanted to question the motive behind the fact that one Anbu member was now stationed inside his bedroom, but thought better.

"You'll get used to it and in time, you'll appreciate the company. It gets lonely sometimes. Now, as I promised, this meeting will be definitely less boring than the others we held so far. I trust you know what this room is?" Hiruzen saw a nod from Kakashi so he continued. "This happens to be same place your student had stolen the scroll of kinjutsu and house of the majority of the ninjutsu used by Konoha shinobi since its foundation. As Hokage, you have complete access to all the contents in this room. Started by the Shodaime; constantly used by the Nidaime and myself. The Yondaime actually used very little, considering his love for seals. Now, as a ninjutsu master such as yourself, I believe you'll find great use in a lot of ninjutsu in here." Kakashi's eye widened as he looked at Hiruzen who was smiling at him. "It's no secret that the Hokage is the strongest shinobi in the village and for a good reason. Right now, you are bearing on my students' level, but you need to be stronger now. Today we will take a look on these techniques and choose those that best suit your style."

"Not to sound ungrateful Sandaime-sama, but I've managed to copy a great load of techniques with the sharingan. I…" Hiruzen snorted at the insinuation. Kakashi earned his reputation as Copy-cat ninja Kakashi, the man who copied one thousand techniques.

"Yes, I know…however, I can bet you can pick a dozen or two dozen techniques that are actually useful in the battlefield and useful to you as well. Now, you favor earth, fire and lightning techniques in your mid-range to close ranged fighting. Water techniques are used only against fire techniques and you're filled with those. You can pick a few of the Nidaime's techniques as well." Kakashi saw Hiruzen walking towards the isles and smirked. Perhaps he could use the knowledge in this room and better protect the village and a certain blond-haired jinchuuriki from his enemies.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

The noise of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the clearing as two kenjutsu practitioners were displaying a show to their temporary teacher.

Sannin Jiraiya simply observed with a surprised smile as he watched Naruto and Sasuke spar using their newly acquired swords. He was pleasantly surprised when he next saw the change in Sasuke's posture and how he got to smile more often when around Naruto. Even their spar was different. Before, each time they fought both were always aiming for simply winning the fight, not at all caring if the loser was hurt or damaged or even killed for that matter, judging by the way they fought. Now, even if both were fighting with deadly weapons, it was clear that neither was actually aiming for vital points. Sasuke had his sharingan activated as he parried blow to blow with Naruto who was still struggling to match Sasuke's pace. The sharingan allowed Sasuke to be one step ahead of Naruto's every move and the Uchiha was quickly adapting his body to the information given by the accursed doujutsu.

Naruto was also improving as he focused his observation skills in parrying Sasuke's quick and precise strikes as opposed to Naruto's slow but more powerful strikes.

Jiraiya could very well see that these two managed to form a nice training bond. They were both smiling despite the obvious fatigue in their faces by going at it for close to an hour now.

"Okay you two, I guess that's enough for practice. We still have to find Tsunade. Now, let's focus a bit on chakra control training and then we'll march to the town I believe we'll finally find the slippery woman, Tanzaku Gai." Naruto and Sasuke stopped what they were doing and nodded at the sannin, before going to a nearby stream and simply stand on top of the water, while occasionally performing jutsu along the way. Sasuke would shoot fireballs at random directions while Naruto was throwing wind swords and wind gale palm. With this, they were slowing reducing their chakra level while still maintaining the chakra flow on their feet to standing on top of the water stream.

One hell of a chakra control exercise.

After almost thirty minutes doing so, the two chunnin left the stream and took a seat on the ground to rest. Sasuke was clearly more tired than Naruto, but both really needed the rest. Jiraiya give them both half an hour of rest before walking once more towards the town that contained information on Tsuande's whereabouts.

While walking, Sasuke was busy taking care of his newly acquired sword while Naruto was busy looking at a specific seal given by Jiraiya for him to study. It was a simple storage seal, but if Naruto wanted to learn the craft of kekkai techniques to its full potential he must have equal knowledge in fuuinjutsu as well. The boy, though, was frowning his eyes trying to memorize the seal design before attempting to replicate it afterward. Fuuinjutsu, like his perverted sensei explained, consisted of memorizing the different kanji that when placed together, could offer a variety of uses. Aside from memorizing the seal design, Naruto learned that each seal required both his chakra and a special ink. While it wasn't true that all seals needed the creator's chakra to activate, the ones that Jiraiya wanted to teach Naruto were.

As such, the perverted sannin got him samples of both the storage scroll and the exploding tags. When Naruto got the hang of these two, Jiraiya would teach him the ones that when applied together, forms special barriers, thus reaching Naruto's future area of expertise. Surprisingly so, Sasuke wasn't much interested in the art of sealing by stating that it would take too long in the middle of the battle to make one. Indeed, it was and Jiraiya wouldn't waste his time stating the obvious. There were some advanced shinobi like the Yondaime Hokage that could apply seals faster than the eye could blink and the enemy wouldn't even be aware of it. The pervert wasn't going to waste time _convincing _Sasuke otherwise. The kid had enough material to work on with two elements and sword fighting to master. Naruto, however, needed as much aid as possible against the ones who were after him. They continued to walk for a few hours, before the town of Tanzaku Gai was visible in the horizon. Looking at the sky, the pervert was relieved since it was almost getting dark and he wasn't thrilled in having to camp so close to the city.

* * *

**===In Konoha===**

When Haruno Sakura started working with Team 8, because Shino was promoted to chunnin, she thought that like her old team, it would take a long time to get comfortable with her teammates. Certainly, being stuck between fierce rivals such as Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke wasn't child's play, but it was the only team she had so far. Her expectations were surprisingly ruined as she got to know her new teammates. Kiba was kind of like Naruto in his brash behavior, but he was a nice guy once she got to talk to him. Hinata was extremely shy, but it was nice to have a girl to talk to from time to time. Also her new sensei Kurenai was a welcomed surprise, compared to her old sensei, who was now the Godaime Hokage.

Kakashi's approach usually focused on teamwork exercises and chakra control. However, he usually tended to wait for his genin to come forward and ask questions on where to improve.

Kurenai's was different. Her ability was genjutsu. As such, she focused on skills that, when added together, allowed someone to be a genjutsu user or at least able to overcome higher level illusions. Heavy chakra control exercises; chakra disruption techniques and even advanced theory of the field of illusions that left Sakura baffled. Taijutsu was also focused, but Kurenai would parry the genin against each other for that. Since both Kiba and Hinata came from families that relied mainly on taijutsu, they were just as good as Sasuke was. The difference was that Sasuke wasn't interested in helping her whereas both Hinata and Kiba had given her many tips. Ninjutsu was placed last in Kurenai's agenda of what to teach, aside from the three taught at the academy. According to the jounin, a shinobi must first master the basics forms of combat such as taijutsu and projectile throwing.

If Sakura wanted, though, she could train ninjutsu as a side project.

Sakura was enjoying her training just the way it was, though and Kurenai seemed to have taken a special interest in teaching her. She had a nice tracking team in Shino, Kiba and Hinata. However, her teaching to them was restricted because of their families. Sakura not only didn't have this limitation, but was also a quick learner. She enjoyed studying and had even learned a couple of C-ranked genjutsu techniques that Kurenai created in almost record time. Kurenai also concurred with Kakashi that Sakura's chakra control was adequate for learning medical ninjutsu and was even researching on some more advanced methods to teach the girl.

Right now, the team was returning from a C-ranked mission that consisted of protecting a merchant while he was doing business close to Fire Country's capital. Considering the last C-ranked mission Sakura was in, this one was a breeze. Practically nothing happened, aside from a stupid thug who thought he could steal from them. She imagined that had Naruto participated in this mission, he would be complaining about not doing anything.

* * *

**===Tanzaku Gai===**

As soon as the Konoha ninja crossed the gates of the city, the sky began to change its color and the moon was threatening to appear on the horizon.

The lights were already illuminating the crowded streets and many vending machines sprawled all over the place, giving to its visitors, the very intention behind everything around here. Tanzaku Gai was in all essence a tourist paradise in Fire Country. Filled with bars, pubs, casino dens and even whore houses, the place wasn't considered suitable for children. The only reason Naruto and Sasuke were an exception in this place was because of their headbands. However, the atmosphere was not what both boys were expecting. Naruto even had to close his nose as he sensed the strong smell of smoke and alcohol lingering in the air. Sasuke appeared not bothered, but he wasn't faring well either. Jiraiya noticed it immediately and smirked at the teenagers. Even if being ninja gave you clearance to these sorts of places, the first time around is always the worst.

"Relax the both of you, I know a nice little hotel here that's far from all of this, come." Naruto snorted at that, though as he followed the no good pervert.

"Huh, I bet you know a lot more about here than nice hotels to stay, stupid Ero-sennin." The last part was whispered, but Jiraiya heard and reacted exaggeratedly offended at the insinuation.

"Are you insinuating that I am nothing but a pervert!?" Jiraiya even made a pose to go along with it, before Naruto exchanged eyes with Sasuke for a while. They both turned to the sannin at the same time.

"Yes…"

"You are…"

Sasuke was the one that spoke first, though Naruto started one second later.

"Wrong the both of you…I am a super pervert." Both chunnin sighed since they have heard the same thing all over again. Jiraiya now smirked at them, before pointing the hotel. "Now, that's the hotel I was talking about, get in there and book two rooms, one for me and the other for you two." The chunnin took a look at the place and thought nothing of it. It was a beige three floor house and it appeared to be frequented by normal people on top of things. They turned to see the sannin marching backwards with a lecherous smile on his face. He stopped, though, only to turn and address the two youngsters.

"If you two feel like wandering around and search for Tsunade, feel free, but be careful. This city is filled with people wanting nothing but trouble."

Once he was gone, the chunnin booked the two rooms and marched outside for a quick look around. Minutes later, the boys were back at the city center where everyone was busy indulging their desires in open space, with no shame what so ever. This time, though, the chunnin were more accustomed to the images and kept walking around. They were passing by a rather large restaurant window and briefly looked inside. It was Sasuke who looked further inside and saw their target seating on the closest table to the kitchen together with a brunette wearing a purple kimono.

"It appears that we found her, but the damn pervert is far away. He is her teammate…" Naruto nodded.

"We should at least follow her and see where she's staying so that we can warn him." Sasuke thought about it and thought it was a good idea. Little did he know, though, that Tsunade was barely starting with the sake and wouldn't come out of the restaurant for at least another three hours. By the time she got out, Sasuke slightly opened his eyes from the building in front of the restaurant and kicked the already snoring Naruto. The chunnin followed them from afar and saw her entering the same hotel that they were using it. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the pervert to arrive and tell him the good news.

* * *

**===With Tsunade===**

When the sun rose the next day and illuminated her room, Tsunade complained with a snarl while massaging her head to keep the hangover from increasing. It was times like these that she questioned why she had to drink so much. She asked that question every time she had a hangover, but she would be damned if this thought alone would stop her from drinking all over again. Looking to the bed next to hers, she saw her companionship since she left Konoha almost twenty years ago. Shizune was Dan's niece. Thus, every time she looked at her, Tsunade couldn't help but see that little girl pestering her and her lover Dan to take her to the playgrounds in Konoha. Tsunade's nostalgic smile soon dropped once she heard someone knocking on the door yelling 'room service.' The woman immediately found it weird since the only one who could have ordered it was still asleep. Placing her green robes, Tsunade went to open the door, before her eyes widened at who actually was.

"Hello there princess…" Jiraiya saluted his ex-teammate and only received a groan in response from the slug sannin.

"What are you doing here, Jiraiya and how the hell did you find me?" The perverted sannin smirked.

"I thought you had more faith in my skills as a spy master, hime. Now, how about I pay you breakfast, I have a few things I wish to discuss with you." It wouldn't bode well for his pride that it wasn't him who found the woman, but the chunnin under his charge. He was busy getting wasted inside a brothel, with the excuse that he was collecting information on her whereabouts. Tsunade looked at the man for a while, before grunting angrily and closing the door. Jiraiya knew she wouldn't go anywhere and went inside only to change her clothes. It didn't take five minutes for Tsunade to open the door once more and follow the smirking Jiraiya towards the hotel restaurant. Once they arrived, Tsunade saw Jiraiya moving to a table that was occupied by two relatively young shinobi from Konoha. Grunting, she followed and took a seating next to Sasuke, who was mostly focused on eating his breakfast despite some level of interest in this woman, seeing as she is a sannin.

"Okay Jiraiya, spill it. What is it that you wish to speak to me about?" Jiraiya was busy ordering something for himself, before he turned away from the waiter and addressed his teammate.

"Oh, okay, I'll get right to the point. A few weeks ago, Konoha was invaded by both Otogakure and Sunagakure." Tsunade widened her eyes at that, while listening. "Orochimaru was behind the entire thing and he managed to create a mess for sensei to clean up. Fortunately, Sarutobi-sensei managed to hold our dear teammate long enough for me to give aid. He ended up escaping, though." Jiraiya waited a bit for the information to sink in, while eating his breakfast with his usual smile on his face. He saw her eyes returning to the present world.

"Okay, Konoha was invaded but was victorious. I'm pretty sure you didn't come here just to tell me that, what is it?" Jiraiya nodded, since he was waiting for the question.

"We did win the war, but a lot of our shinobi force is now in critical condition. The village is now lacking in the medic-nin department. As such, Sensei issued an order for you to return and run the village's medic department." As expected, the woman went from aloof to angry in one go, before a great level of killing intent was released, making the chunnin tremble slightly. If there was any doubt about Tsunade's skills as a sannin before, now they were convinced. Both Sasuke and Naruto thanked the heavens that said intent wasn't directed at them, but Jiraiya. He, though, just kept his gaze at Tsunade not fazed by it.

"How dare you? How dare sensei thinking he could just order me back? I'll never return to that place Jiraiya."

Memories flashed inside her mind of her two loved ones perishing because of the war.

"Please Tsunade, please reconsider. Sensei wouldn't have called you back if he didn't think it was necessary."

It was irrelevant, apparently. The woman was always stubborn like that. Actually,

"Drop it Jiraiya, I won't return to that village. I just lost too much…" Jiraiya immediately tensed hoping that Tsunade haven't heard the distinguished sound of a snort coming from another person next to him. He sighed, though, seeing Tsunade's eyes narrow even further before turning to the one who dared judge her actions. She turned to the black haired kid and noticed in his eyes the lack of respect that someone of Tsunade's status was used to receiving. She knew though that it wasn't him who snorted at her comment, but the fierce blue eyes that kept on staring her incredulously next to the black haired kid.

"You've got something to say to me, you brat?" By the look in her eyes, anyone would think twice before speaking their mind, but not the blond chunnin who was matching her eye to eye.

"I'm just surprised to see a member of the Sannin behaving like a coward." Jiraiya's blood ran cold at the speech and he saw the look of pure fury in Tsunade's face, but Naruto wasn't finished. "You just heard from Ero-sennin that there lots of injured people from the invasion. Injured people whose life hangs on the balance because the only one who could treat them and save their lives is busy running away from whatever fate happened in her life. I know people in Konoha who have suffered as well, but are still there fighting for what he or she believes. I for instance was born hated by the entire village and ostracized by everyone because of something I couldn't control." Naruto looked at Sasuke for a while, earning a nod from the Uchiha. "Sasuke here had his entire family murdered by his own brother. Our sensei Kakashi had lost everyone in his life and is now nominated Godaime Hokage. Please tell me lady, why do you think your pain is any worse or any different from the rest of the world?"

The fact that Naruto was trembling made all the difference in his speech and for the first time, no one berated him for speaking out of line.

Tsunade, though, was furious at this brat for what he said. A rational side of Tsunade couldn't help but agree with him. However, she has spent too many time running away to be swayed so easily. He was nothing but a kid, but the fire she saw in his eyes gave merit to his every word. The kid wouldn't back down and if what he said was true, then he had every right to question her pain. The boy, who looked incredibly like the Yondaime Hokage, was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and the kid next to him was the last loyal member of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Sasuke. Both were now looking at her with similarly fierce resolve. Jiraiya slightly smirked at Naruto's words, but saw that he needed to run some damage control.

"Tsunade…"

"Drop it Jiraiya…" She then turned to the blond chunnin. "You speak big words for a little kid. I want to see you back your words outside. If you even land a hit on me, I admit the truth behind your words and return. If not, then you will leave me alone. The Uchiha kid could even join in to help your odds." Naruto and Sasuke looked at one another and smirked at the challenge presented by them. Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh for perhaps the thousandth time already. He didn't know if he should allow such a fight to happen. Tsunade could kill them after what Naruto had said to her. Come to think of it, though, with both Sasuke and Naruto, the odds aren't totally against them.

There was something else though, he mused. There was this look on her face that something changed after Naruto's speech.

As they walked outside, Jiraiya saw Shizune appearing in front of Tsunade and attempting to convince her against this. Right now, it wasn't a match of whose side would be victorious. It was a battle to see which will was the strongest. Either Naruto's based on dealing with the unbearable pain and move forward no matter the cost or Tsunade's whose decision was to let pain take over her actions. There is a saying that a lie told repeatedly ends up becoming the truth. The female member of the Sannin had wasted twenty years of her life blaming the hidden village of the leaves for the death of her lover Dan and her little brother Nawaki. Thus, anyone who came to her and said it differently was considered a liar in Tsunade's book. As soon as they were outside, Jiraiya saw that the streets were deserted, save from the battle contestants and himself and Shizune.

Naruto and Sasuke were close to each other as they looked at their opponent.

"Teme, do you know anything about her?" Sasuke looked at Naruto showing indignation.

"Dobe, didn't you pay attention to the academy when we covered the sannin? Senju Tsunade was considered famous for her prowess in medical ninjutsu. However, she was also famous for her mastery in the taijutsu department, rumoring to pack a punch, using chakra to increase her strength. If anything, I'd avoid getting too close for the mean time." Naruto nodded and smirked at the information. Meanwhile, the all too cocky sannin was busy cracking her knuckles waiting for the brats to make the first move. She saw Sasuke activating the sharingan while Naruto formed a strange looking hand seal, before five copies of himself charged at the woman.

The copies charged at the same time going from multiple directions, earning a snort from the sannin as she dealt with the bunshins using only her finger.

Sasuke remained behind while the original smirked again and threw a couple of shuriken laced with wind chakra at her, surprising Shizune and Jiraiya. The chunnin were really going for the kill. Tsunade dodged the shuriken expertly and ran to meet Naruto halfway. She moved in to punch him, but the blond managed to evade the strike and get out of the way as Sasuke unleashed a gigantic fireball at her the moment that Naruto left from his place. Tsunade saw the fire technique approaching and focused chakra on her fists to stop it, before reaching her. The sannin was surprised when she saw Naruto appearing behind the fireball's path, going through hand seals.

**Fuuton Repusshou** (Wind Release: Wind Gale Palm Technique)

The extra burst of wind increased the fireball's power, forcing Tsunade to review her strategy and evade it. The fireball went on a clear path to the forest that surrounded the inn. Tsunade saw Naruto and charged at him once more. Sasuke saw with his eyes and threw two kunai at her intended direction, once more forcing Tsunade to move out of the way. Sasuke took the opportunity and went through hand seals as he saw behind Tsunade what Naruto was up to. Gathering enough air inside his lungs, Sasuke released everything in one go, exhaling a powerful stream of fire towards Tsunade.

**Katon Dai Endan (**Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)

Tsunade evaded once more, jumping backwards a bit, but not enough for the plan to work. He went through hand seals once more, taking the window of opportunity. If she moved from her position, then both Sasuke and Naruto would need to change strategies. While doing the hand signs, both his hands were busy gathering lightning energy. This attack was considered more agile than his usual fireballs, which would force her to move backwards quickly.

**Raiton Rakurai** (Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Technique)

Once more evading the technique, Tsunade jumped backwards and was suddenly trapped by four copies of the blond brat, strangely forming a square formation around her. Jiraiya saw it and smirked at the ingenuity of Naruto's improvisation. Said technique was better used in solid places, such as walls or even trees, forming a barrier array. Tsunade went through the same conclusion just as the bunshin lifted their vest to show four identical seals, before it ignited.

**Kekkai Houjin** (Barrier Method Battle Array)

The real one appeared next to his partner with a smirk on his face. As soon as the smoke was cleared, Tsunade's clothes were terribly burned, but the woman appeared relatively unscathed. She was furious now as she observed the two brats looking at her from a distance. She had to admit that these two have a nice teamwork. However, it didn't mean that she wouldn't break a bone or two. These two were getting on her nerves. She charged at them once more, but stopped once Jiraiya appeared in front of her, stopping the fight. Clearly, he met opposition from both sides.

"What the hell Jiraiya, move out of the way. I have a couple of brats to deal with." Jiraiya looked at his teammate with a serious expression on his face.

"You said it yourself that if they hit you once, you'd go back with us. You had to use your arms to shield your face from the explosion." Tsunade snarled at the man and the brats who right now were smirking at her, thinking the obvious conclusion, that she would admit defeat and return to the very place who scared her life for eternity. Jiraiya was waiting for her response.

"Whatever…I ain't coming back and that's final. You can't force me to do anything."

Her answer surprised Shizune, Naruto and Sasuke but not Jiraiya. He was beginning to understand Naruto's words now that he looked more closely. Tsunade ignored Naruto's shouts calling her coward and untrustworthy as she walked away from the location. Shizune hesitated a bit before following her master, not before apologizing to everyone for her master's actions. Sasuke didn't care much about it and snorted at the woman's cowardice action. Naruto stopped shouting obscenities to the woman as soon as her image disappeared. Jiraiya just remained looking at the direction that his teammate left, before turning to the chunnin behind him.

"You two are to wait for me back at the hotel; I'll go and talk to her once more. Feel free to do some training if you wish." He turned once more and casually walked, leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone.

The blond chunnin clearly was frustrated at the turn of events, even if he and Sasuke totally kicked ass in his right mind. He saw Sasuke turn and walk back to the hotel and quickly followed. If they were to train, and Naruto was pretty sure they would, it couldn't be done right in the middle of the street. He followed Sasuke inside while wondering about Tsunade and that perhaps it was a mistake on Sarutobi-jiji's part to ever count on her for anything, no matter what happened in her life. He also wondered about the similarities between another member of the Sannin, the one who happened to turn on Konoha and openly attack or even kill shinobi that used to be his comrades.

Sasuke went to the inn's backyard and removed his sword from the scabbard before facing Naruto. The blond smirked at the challenge and did the same, already forgetting about the coward sannin.

* * *

**===With Jiraiya===**

He knew that Tsunade wasn't going anywhere, since her stuff was at the same hotel that he was staying.

As he peacefully walked throughout the village, he took special interest in the bars and pubs. He was pretty sure that Tsunade would be carving for a good bottle of saké right now and he wasn't disappointed to find her inside one flimsy old and empty pub, on the verge of opening her second bottle. Shizune could be seen in front of her looking at her master, pitying the person to whom every kunoichi wanted to be like when they grew up. She looked to the side surprised to see Jiraiya there once more. His look was strangely similar to her own as he stared at the still drinking Tsunade with nothing but pity for the woman. The cloud of darkness and depression that surrounded her was practically visible now.

"What do you want you pervert, I've already told you I ain't coming back…" Her eyes were dulled and didn't uphold one per cent of the usual light that the man was used to seeing.

"I understand Tsunade and I won't bother convincing you anymore." Although the woman was asking to be left alone, something in Jiraiya's tone caused her grief, but he wasn't finished. "It is clear to me now that you're so far gone inside your mind and suffering that you don't know how to get out of it anymore. When sensei asked me to convince you to return, he was counting on you to take over the medical unit and provide help to those in need. However, as of now, you can't even help yourself out of the depression." Tsunade just looked at nothing as she kept pouring sake on her glass. Shizune wanted to defend her master, but couldn't find the words to do so.

"Are you done Jiraiya?" The male sannin snarled at the question.

"No I'm not done…damn it Tsunade. I don't even recognize you anymore. It's been twenty years. Do you actually believe Dan or Nawaki would want to see you like this? I knew them to be strong, filled with courage to do what was right. Even if you don't wish to return to the village, at least don't turn your back on those that are going to die unless they receive proper treatment." Once more, Tsunade said nothing and this time Jiraiya didn't consider extending his presence anymore. A part of him wanted to continue, because it was clear that his words were affecting her, despite the look of apathy in her face.

However, the other part figured that talking now wouldn't do anything and it turned out that Jiraiya favored the last.

"You figure out what you want to do with your life, Tsunade. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning towards Konoha. If you at least value other's lives, you'll be at the reception waiting. If not, then sensei will be severely disappointed in you when I return without your company. Have a good day." Jiraiya got up from the table and left the bar, leaving only two people, a pig and the bar tender who was taking a light nap. Shizune wished for the man to stay and try more, but he had left without even looking back. Looking at her master once more, she silently wished that Tsunade chose to return to the village tomorrow morning. She feared that this window of opportunity would close with Jiraiya.

* * *

**===At the Inn===**

Once Jiraiya arrived at the inn, he wasn't surprised to hear metal clashing against metal coming from the inn's backyard.

As soon as he arrived, though, he saw an alarming scene of Sasuke firing a fireball at Naruto who was focusing every bit of his chakra in maintaining the barrier taught by the pervert. Apparently, Naruto went against his teaching and used the technique against an elemental offensive technique. Even if the kid had an inhuman amount of chakra, doesn't mean it wouldn't end eventually. Both the cursed seal and the fox's chakra were his backup plan in case his actual skills failed. Eventually, the barrier was able to withstand the power of the fireball, but Naruto was extremely disoriented afterward making himself an easy target for the enemy.

"What have I told you about using that against elemental attacks, gaki?" Jiraiya's voice alerted Naruto as he got up from the ground.

"Yeah you did, I was just seeing it for myself. If for instance someone is faster than me and I have to use something quickly, the barrier is all I have. I can't find something to replace myself with all the time, you know." Jiraiya was amused at the indignant expression on his face. Since there was still some baby fat left to burn, the chunnin still looked like a child pouting about being denied a present. Jiraiya, though, could see merit in the complaint. He knew of something he could teach to the kid that would take perhaps a considerable amount of chakra, but it would be less than maintaining the barrier technique; plus it would take less effort to perform.

"You have a point there, gaki. Perhaps it would be prudent to teach you a simple doton technique meant for defensive." Naruto started salivating instantly and even Sasuke perked up from where he was.

"Sasuke, use your fireball against me. Naruto, you pay attention to my every move." The Uchiha nodded and went through hand seals, before exhaling a considerably sized fireball. Jiraiya went through hand seals and inflated his chest a bit. Jiraiya, then, expelled mud from his mouth towards the ground in front of him. As the fireball approached Jiraiya's position, the pool of mud suddenly behaved like a geyser from the ground and solidified in front of Jiraiya.

**Doton Doryuuheki** (Earth Release: Mud Wall Technique)

The fireball collided with the wall of mud and the earth trembled because of the impact. However, after the smoke had settled, the wall was still standing. Jiraiya was behind it as he turned to Naruto and saw the look on his face. Jiraiya only smirked, having already forgotten about how stubborn Tsunade was acting. He was amused since the boy clearly wanted to learn that. However, for him to get as proficient as Jiraiya in performing the technique, he would need to learn how to mold earth chakra. Jiraiya had affinities for both fire and earth, hence how he was able to do the technique with no trouble at all. Naruto, however, had affinity for wind techniques. Jiraiya knew the kid would be able to use it, but he would have to work real hard to get it.

"I can see from your face that you're quite eager to learn this technique. However, I'll tell you now that it will take a while before you become proficient." Naruto smirked at that.

"Just you wait, Ero-sennin. I'll master every technique you're willing to teach me." Both Sasuke and Jiraiya smirked at the proclamation, both believing it to be nothing more than the truth. The pervert began to instruct Naruto in how to manipulate earth level chakra, already knowing that the kid wouldn't get it right away. He even picked an empty scroll and wrote the theory for the boy to practice on his own from now on. As soon as he entered the inn towards his room, he heard the distinguishing noise of shadow clones and smirked. Only Naruto could manage to train using shadow clones and not get killed because of it. He only laughed as he heard the bickering that soon followed.

"Oi dobe, try warning me the next time you do something like this, damn it. My head is killing me." Naruto snorted at Sasuke's complaint.

"Huh teme, you're just jealous of my super awesome training exercise. I'll beat your sorry ass in no time, just you wait!" This time, Sasuke snorted as he was busy massaging his temples.

"In your dreams dobe. You can't even land a hit on me."

"Like you're any different."

Those two bickering at each other was simply priceless.

* * *

**===Next day===**

When Jiraiya and the chunnin were sent and ready to return to the hidden village in the leaves, there was no one waiting for them at the inn reception.

Jiraiya wasn't completely surprised by it, though he half wished that she would at least return to tend the wounded from the invasion. The message that he would be delivering to both his sensei and the future Hokage was quite clear. Senju Tsunade, granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage, last living member of the Senju Clan and one of the Sannin, was now far out of Konoha's grasp. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke cared much about her not showing. It only confirmed their first notion of her character. As they stepped out of the hotel, the Konoha party was surprised to see both Tsunade and Shizune carrying an overly sized bag on her back and a pig with her arms. She was smiling from ear to ear at the prospect of finally going back to the village. Tsunade saw the smile on Jiraiya's face and frowned.

"This doesn't mean anything…as soon as I heal the last injured, I'm out of there." The smile never left his face, though. His mission was successful in the end.

"We'll take what we can get, I guess. If we hurry, we may arrive in Konoha by the end of the day." The party now joined by Tsunade and Shizune vanished like a blur towards Konoha.

* * *

**Author Note**

Okay, I know I said that Naruto's only element would be wind. But I slightly changed my mind. I say slightly, because as you now saw, he will learn a couple earth techniques meant for protection. However, his main focus will be wind techniques. Now, what do you think about it? It appeared that Tsunade wouldn't return, huh? I almost thought about doing it like that, but thought against it in the end. I've already changed the events giving Kakashi the mantle. If someone is wondering why Orochimaru wasn't there, please remember that in his fight with the Sandaime Hokage, he didn't have his arms sealed by the Death God, so there was no reason for him to search for Tsunade.

Tell me what you think about it.

See ya.


	9. Stubborness

**Author Note**

Hi there everyone and welcome to another chapter of Accursed Brothers.

Last chapter, Jiraiya together with Naruto and Sasuke managed to convince Tsunade into at least coming to Konoha and healing the injured from the invasion. As expected, the woman was too damn stubborn, going as far to take her promise back after losing her battle to the newly promoted chunnin. In the end, though, after a brief conversation with Jiraiya, the woman saw reason in at least coming back to help the wounded and then leave for good. To Naruto and Sasuke, though, none of it really mattered to them. The trip was mostly consisted of them learning new techniques and improving on their already existing ones. Now the group returns to Konoha as Tsunade starts treating the wounded.

Check it out.

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Stubbornness **

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

No sooner had the group left Tanzaku Gai, and Tsunade was already considering making a run for it, consequences be damned.

First reason was her teammate and fellow Sannin, Jiraiya. The man would constantly be on her nerves, making perverted comments that set her on edge the entire time. A part of her knew that the man was doing everything with the sole purpose of infuriating her, but the other part just wanted to treat Jiraiya like a punching bag. In her right mind, though, constantly beating him wouldn't work at all and she felt at ease in doing so. The other source of her headache was the two little chunnin that took advantage of their relatively slow pace towards Konoha to train against one another. Seriously, Tsunade assumed that both would be on the ground panting from exhaustion already.

Shizune looked at her master's face and couldn't help but smirk nervously while watching the kids fighting in kenjutsu. Tsunade was known for having the shortest temper in the world.

Naruto and Sasuke, in the mean time, were busy parrying their swords against each other, either not knowing or caring very little that Tsunade was annoyed by their action. The two were going at it for quite some time now, before Sasuke created some distance and shot a considerably sized fireball at Naruto. The blond chunnin narrowed his eyes in determination and began the hand seals for his first earth release ninjutsu. He managed to spill some mud on the ground, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop the fireball. The small wall was powerless to even deter the fireball's path, forcing Naruto to use his agility and evade the fireball. After getting away from the attack's path, Naruto threw a couple of shuriken at Sasuke who moved his sword to deflect the projectiles. Naruto waited until the last moment before he used the wind gale palm technique, increasing the shuriken's velocity.

Sasuke quickly replaced himself with a log that was near Naruto and attacked with his sword. Naruto's training with Anko kicked in and he placed his sword to parry Sasuke's blow, before summoning a kage bunshin that landed a fierce punch on Sasuke's face. Still in mid-air, Sasuke went through some hand seals, before his hands sparkled in electricity. Naruto was aware of the technique and already performed his own set of hand seals when Sasuke used his technique right after landing on the ground.

_Raiton Rakurai (Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Technique)_

_Fuuton Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique)_

Sasuke realized the futility in keeping the technique after seeing it destroyed by Naruto's wind blast. With the use of his sharingan, he saw Naruto's technique coming his way and evaded it quickly. He saw Naruto coming at him with the sword with great speed and used his to block it. The two stopped while staring at each other with a proud smirk on their faces, despite their fatigue. Tsunade snorted at the two while Shizune was looking quite impressed at the display. Jiraiya looked at it with a smile on his face as he approached his chunnin charges. These two wouldn't stop fighting unless he did something. He was beginning to wonder if Sasuke was a jinchuuriki as well, since he was able to keep up with Naruto's stamina.

"Great improvement you two; although, Naruto, please refrain from using a technique you can't fully use. The earth wall will be easier to you once you learn earth manipulation chakra. In the mean time, keep practicing it." The jinchuuriki nodded, before both chunnin placed their swords inside the respective scabbard. The group would reach the gates of Konoha in less than an hour, so Naruto would have some time to train in doton techniques. Plus, he meant to see how he could improve his wind manipulation, since he remembered that he had only learned the first step, according to Anko-sensei. Turning to Jiraiya as they walked, Naruto figured that he could ask the pervert for pointers.

"Hey Ero-sennin…do you happen to know about the next step to wind manipulation? I've already sliced a leaf in two."

Jiraiya was slightly peeved that Tsunade was holding her stomach while laughing at him. He ignored her, though, while addressing the chunnin.

"The next step is quite complex, though I believe you can manage it in time. Put simply, in order to fully master wind manipulation, you must be able to slice a waterfall using only your chakra." Jiraiya knew that by doing that, he would get his vengeance because of his new nickname. Naruto was carefree while walking next to the pervert sannin. He simply nodded at the answer, not at all getting the prospect of what was required of him. It took three seconds for his face to morph from carefree to confused and from confused to surprised. He turned his head in indignation at Jiraiya hoping that the man was simply joking with the kid.

"You must be joking right? How the hell am I supposed to slice an entire waterfall?" Jiraiya smirked at the kid.

"If it was easy kid, anyone would have done it. Wind users are rare because the element is hard to master, even to the wind natured like you. It's not like you are on a dead line anyway. The first step is enough for the techniques. The difference is that you can add more power to the techniques by learning the second step." Naruto by now was visibly considering the path ahead of him when Jiraiya placed a comforting head on his shoulder. "With your kage bunshin training, though, you are able to learn much faster. Once we arrive, I'll pick up some earth ninjutsu material for you while you train. I bet you'll manage to master everything you set your mind to quite fast." Naruto smirked at that, already picturing the skills he need to master, the Rasengan being one of them.

Sasuke snorted, having heard the conversation.

"Using bunshins all the time is considered cheating, dobe. Not everyone has the same chakra pool as you." Naruto's face was morphed into fake indignation as he faced Sasuke.

"Huh teme; like your sharingan is any different. All you have to do is look at anything with those damn eyes of yours." Sasuke snorted, but then smiled. Pissing each other was one of their most treasured hobbies.

* * *

**===Konohagakure===**

Another two hours later and the group had finally crossed the gates of Konoha.

Tsunade was unusually quiet as she processed the images of this accursed place. It hadn't changed much since she left with her charge Shizune, after the two events that changed her life for good. No sooner had they stepped foot inside the village, the group had Konoha's full attention. Being the granddaughter of the man who founded the village, Senju Tsunade was considered nobility in Konohagakure. And seeing her next to Uchiha Sasuke, the two were what was left of the two founding clans. The rest of the group, namely Shizune, Jiraiya and Naruto, felt comfortable in just walking behind the two noble individuals. Jiraiya was more focused in how his teammate was fairing after being gone for so long. The group headed immediately to the Hokage's office.

After opening the door, the group had met with Sandaime Hokage and the newly appointed Godaime Hokage Hatake Kakashi.

Tsunade, despite knowing that Kakashi was nominated for the position, found it strange that her sensei wasn't behind his desk anymore and also not wearing the usual kage outfit.

"It's good to see you once more, Tsunade-chan. It's good to know that you have agreed in returning home." Sandaime smirked fondly at his only female student, earning a snort from Tsunade.

"Yeah, well, I'm only here to heal the wounded sensei. After this, I'll be gone again." Sandaime looked at the woman while checking on Jiraiya briefly for some kind of explanation. The pervert merely shrugged his shoulders and released a slight sigh in dismay. Whatever happened out there, Hiruzen guessed that it took all of Jiraiya's negotiating skills to merely convince her to heal the wounded from the invasion. At the very least, the woman's expertise would greatly save the majority of those wounded and help them return to active duty. Hiruzen hoped that in due time Tsunade decided to stay, although a part of him wondered if it was time to revoke her free travelling rights. Kakashi was quiet throughout the entire ordeal, not really having an opinion to contribute to the discussion.

"Your skills will be greatly appreciated, Tsunade. The hospital staff is already waiting for your arrival, so you can drop there any time." Tsunade grunted and left the room followed by Shizune who take her time apologizing for her master's behavior. Once the two women left, Hiruzen turned to Jiraiya for the report. It didn't take long for Jiraiya to report everything. Kakashi and Hiruzen were a bit saddened by the fact that Tsunade refused to come back even after Naruto and Sasuke defeated her as per her own requirements. Kakashi, though, was proud of their students after hearing that the two used a great level of teamwork and managed to hit a sannin level shinobi.

Kakashi gave them congratulations for the job well done, before dismissing the two chunnin.

"So Jiraiya, I trust that my students didn't give you too much trouble?" Kakashi asked to which Jiraiya only nodded in dismissal.

"They can be a handful, sure. But when it comes to training, their energy is one hundred percent applied to it, so I had some time off after giving them some material to work with. First of all, Sasuke managed to learn a few fire and lightning jutsu in no time and even adapted nicely into a kenjutsu fight. Naruto had greatly improved as well in his wind techniques. His ability in close combat is unparalleled and despite Sasuke having the sharingan, he couldn't hit Naruto once when they sparred. I also started to train Naruto in kekkai techniques and the kid has already incorporated some techniques to his arsenal. Perhaps it's high time he started on fuuinjutsu as well. He is also learning how to use doton ninjutsu and I've started teaching him the Rasengan." Hiruzen listened to everything with a smile on his face as he knew that those two certainly benefitted under a sannin's tutelage.

"There is something else I must report as well, concerning Sasuke's cursed seal." This time both Hiruzen and Kakashi looked at the man wondering what happened.

"What happened?" Hiruzen had his stern gaze on his student, wondering why he was only telling this now. Jiraiya knew that his sensei wouldn't approve of what happened, but he felt inclined to explain anyway.

"It all started just a few days after we left the village. The two were busy sparring against each other when Sasuke asked Naruto about the difference in color between his cursed seal and the one Naruto has." Hiruzen immediately frowned at this, but he let Jiraiya continue. "The kid then told Sasuke about the Kyuubi and how it used its chakra to 'purify' the cursed seal, thus eliminating Orochimaru's influence over it. Sasuke ended up asking if the fox could do the same thing for his cursed seal and Naruto said it could, but not after warning Sasuke that the fox's chakra was corrosive to all but himself. Sasuke was aware of the danger, but went along with it."

"I don't need to tell you how irresponsible you were for even letting this happen, Jiraiya." Naruto was right, Sasuke could have been killed because of this stunt.

Jiraiya nodded at his sensei's statement.

"I know sensei, it was a large gamble. However it worked and with this, Orochimaru no longer has any sort of influence over the seal. Now that we know it works, we now know a key element in how to remove Orochimaru's will from the seal. You know, sensei, that it was the only reason I couldn't remove the one that Mitarashi Anko has. She would certainly die otherwise. The fox's demonic chakra is a viable key to remove the evil properties of the seal, without taking away its advantages." Hiruzen looked at Jiraiya for a while in deep thinking. Kakashi, for his turn, decided to participate in this conversation.

"So the procedure worked, then? Sasuke's seal is now red?" Jiraiya nodded, before Kakashi turned to Hiruzen. "There is a possibility that we could create a new offense team, Sandaime-sama." Hiruzen turned to Kakashi ushering him to continue. "If we infuse demonic chakra into Anko's seal, she could be the leader of a heavily offensive squad together with Naruto and Sasuke. With these three, we only have to find another member for a four-man squad, one that can act as the group's support." Jiraiya clearly approved the idea, but Hiruzen was reluctant about allowing Naruto to infuse demonic chakra into another person. As far as he knew, Sasuke could've been killed. Jiraiya reported another interesting fact that he was thinking about it on the way back.

"Sasuke and Anko share a catalyst to the procedure that is their hatred over the ones who wronged them, Itachi and Orochimaru respectfully. It is something to think about, I guess."

Hiruzen nodded at that.

"From what we know of the cursed seal, only one in ten infected manages to activate it, so the person must be highly tolerable to pain. It sounds plausible." The three high level shinobi stood until late inside the Hokage's office, debating on this new heavy assault team, even going as far as to open a bottle of sake in the mean time.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

When the sun rose the next day, Naruto got up early and quickly got dressed.

He was given a week of recuperation since his first chunnin mission started right after the end of the invasion. He planned to take full advantage of his time off to train the entire time. Quickly locking the door to his apartment, he made a quick stop at Ichiraku's for a nice meal, before heading straight to the library where he would search for some material involving both wind and earth manipulation exercises. As soon as he arrived, the librarian gave him the look, but Naruto could practically curse the woman's passed generations and still get inside. He was a chunnin now and thus had full access to the majority of books and scrolls in this place, with the exception of A and S-ranked material which was privy to jounin and above.

Once inside, Naruto didn't waste time and summoned ten kage bunshin to search the facility for what he needed. The place was deserted which suited Naruto just fine. He wasn't looking forward to hearing people telling him to keep it quiet. Fifteen minutes afterward, the clones managed to gather enough material for him to go by for the duration of the week. Quickly checking it out, once more ignoring the librarian's attitude, Naruto left the place towards a more secluded training ground. Normally, he would be in his team's training ground, but he needed to go somewhere else where he knew beyond a doubt that he wouldn't be interrupted. The blond struggled for a bit, trying to think of a place to go to when he remembered the place he trained with Anko-sensei for the chunnin exams. No one would go there, because of what the forest represented.

* * *

**===Inside the Forest of Death===**

After jumping the fence that kept others from coming inside, Naruto immediately jumped towards the nearest tree and travelled towards the location where he last trained.

He was just about to land on top of a specific tree when his instinct ordered him to avoid it. Seconds after passing the tree, he spotted three kunai imbedded at the place he would be in. He landed on the ground and cursed when a barrage of shuriken came flying straight at him. Taking his sword and channeling wind chakra, Naruto managed to slice all the projectiles before standing his ground for the next attack. He wasn't disappointed when a brown snake erupted from the ground inches in front of him and went for his jugular. The snake bit Naruto in the neck while Anko was observing with a smile at the kid. She smirked even more when her old charge was replaced with a log and Naruto was standing behind her with his sword posed to strike.

"You've gotten sharper and faster gaki, not a single move wasted." Anko said, before turning to meet the newly promoted chunnin. "Might explaining to me what you're doing here?"

"I needed a place to train to the fullest without interruption. I figured that no one would think to come here, obviously I was mistaken." Anko just caressed his hair in response with a smile on her face.

"I already told you this is my garden, gaki. When I'm not on a mission or eating my precious Dango, I'm here." Naruto nodded at that. "So training, huh? I guess I don't have much to do, so I'll join. What are you going to train in?" The list of items was short, but the items themselves demanded a great deal of time for even a jounin to master. The woman was surprised that the kid would venture in earth ninjutsu, but she supposed it was valid to have it for defense, being actually blocking an attack or even evasion. When she heard the word 'rasengan', Anko just stared at the kid for a while and smirked. Just when she thought that the kid couldn't surprise her anymore, he goes and do something like this.

"You think I can't do it all in a week?" Anko knew the gaki to be motivated when it comes to proving people wrong. "I don't think….I know it actually. You can't do it. However, that doesn't mean you cannot come close with your clones. I can even teach a good doton technique that you will like since it's similar to your shadow clones. It's the Mud Clone Technique." Naruto nodded immediately and summoned close to five hundred bunshins, filling the forest with blond hair and blue eyed replicas. Since the plan was in Naruto's mind before he summoned the clones, the others didn't need to hear their orders. One hundred of them would be picking up leaves on the ground and slicing them using wind chakra. The second hundred would practice chakra control through both tree and water walking. The third hundred would focus on the rasengan and the last two hundred would focus on earth manipulation. Anko just stared at the army and whistled. The kid wasn't kidding here.

"So what are you going to do while they do all the labor?" She saw him positioning his sword in front of her with a smile on his face and smirked. "You're on gaki."

No sooner had she taken two kunai in each hand, Naruto was already close to her and about to strike.

* * *

**===With Sasuke===**

Rather than training his ass off like his partner in crime, Uchiha Sasuke didn't have the same stamina or even a fox inside his gut to ease the strain on his muscles. He had one week of rest, so he would take today off and simply be at ease. When he got out of his apartment, Sasuke had a small lunch and then went to a ninja weapons shop. The metal of his sword suffered a bit fighting against Naruto's wind induced sword. He needed to reinforce the metal before he had to leave for another mission. Once he arrived in the merchant district, Sasuke decided to keep in the middle of the street or else the store owners would keep pestering him to purchase items in their stores.

The attention he was getting from these people was annoying.

After a few minutes of walk, Sasuke looked to his left and realized that was a store there he had never been into. Deciding to test it out, he went inside and was surprised at what he saw. He felt just like the store in which he purchased his sword while on the trip to find the sannin Tsunade. The store was filled with all sorts of material, going from ninja clothes to projectiles and varied weapons. Sasuke was indeed impressed and figured that it would be nice to focus on this one for his supplies.

"Hello there Sasuke." The Uchiha looked at the counter and was surprised when he saw a familiar face.

"Tenten, hi." Sasuke mentally berated himself since his voice came out somewhat different than usual. "What are you doing here behind the counter? Do you work here?" Tenten nodded with a smile.

"Sort of…my family owns this store. I try to help them out when I can. So I hear you were promoted to chunnin, congratulations." Sasuke nodded in appreciation, before walking towards the counter. Before he stopped, though, Tenten's eyes were glued to the sword strapped on his back. "I didn't know you had a sword, Sasuke. You didn't use one when the invasion started. Can I see it?" Sasuke blinked at the increasing tone in her voice. Tenten realized that too and smiled at the Uchiha. "Sorry…it's just that I love all sorts of weapons. It's a dream of mine to become a kunoichi that specializes in all forms of weapons combat. Where did you acquire it?" Sasuke showed her the blade.

"I purchased it in Crater City on my last mission. It's made from a special metal that allow me to channel chakra." Sasuke could see that Tenten wasn't even listening to him. Her focus was entirely on the blade as she slowly analyzed the weapon with a smile on his face. Strangely so, Sasuke found himself smiling at the scene. He instantly remembered the girl in the invasion fighting quite well against the opposition. He saw her finger passing by the area where the metal had a small dent and looked at him.

"That's the reason I came in your parent's store. I wanted that fixed." Tenten nodded and quickly placed the order of repair to his father.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Sasuke lifted an eyebrow at the question. "If my father knows what to look for, the service will be done much faster." The Uchiha nodded.

"I was sparring against Naruto and his sword is made from the same metal. He channeled wind chakra to his sword, hardening the metal. After a couple of blows, my sword was like this."

Once more, he could see her face lightning up at the mention of kenjutsu fight.

"Awesome…hey next time you two spar can I come? The best way to improve in close combat is to practice against another foe and I don't know anyone our age that fights with a weapon." Sasuke nodded as he saw the girl placing his order and then giving him the receipt. "In two days, you can come back. It will be perfect by then. My father instructs all his clients to do this every month, so as to preserve the quality of the metal. Without it, yours gets rotten quite fast." Sasuke nodded already having the thought in mind. She then turned to stare at him for a while, before asking. "So tell me what is like to be a chunnin? I bet you are doing much tougher assignments now huh?"

"Actually Naruto and I only had one rather long mission so far, outside the village. We followed Jiraiya of the Sannin in search for his teammate and another sannin, Tsunade." When the name reached Tenten's ears, her eyes widened and she smiled once more. Sasuke, though, continued to report the mission. "The mission took longer than Jiraiya expected, so he decided to train both me and Naruto in the mean time." Sasuke finished telling her the story and saw that she was still smiling at him.

"Great, now I envy you. You got to meet Tsunade-sama. She is the strongest kunoichi of all time; I want to be like her when I grow up." The Uchiha thought best than ruining the girl's dream. He wasn't that much impressed to tell the truth. When they fought against her, Sasuke knew the woman could do more, but anyone with her experience should have dealt with the situation much faster. She had also received a great number of attacks. If Jiraiya were in her position, neither Sasuke nor Naruto would have a chance in hitting the guy, no matter if Sasuke had the sharingan or Naruto had his clones to attack in multiple directions. Not to mention that the woman was a mess in every sort of way.

"Well, she has returned with us and is taking care of the wounded right now. You can go to the hospital and meet her there."

Tenten was gone the next second, earning a smirk from Sasuke before leaving the store.

* * *

**===At the Hospital===**

Tsunade's first day in the hospital had surprised the sannin.

At first, she assumed that the experience would be as painful as it has been since Jiraiya and the brats appeared in her life. However, it turned out that it was the complete opposite. Of course, she was back doing what she most treasured these days, healing people and bringing their health back. Jiraiya wasn't kidding when he said that the hospital was packed with the wounded. Luckily to the sannin, the hospital staff had done a splendid job cleansing the blood and patching the wounds. It was a fear of hers when she approached this place. Ever since her lover's death, Tsunade had developed an illogical fear of blood. With her excellence in medical chakra, she was able to speed up the recovery of most and even heal the most critical cases. Bones were mended back together, damaged organs were repaired and even inner bleedings were stopped.

The woman was literally on fire as she healed one by one with a smile on her face.

Another person that was having the time of her life was Tsunade's assistant Shizune. Tsunade couldn't help but smile at seeing her student's energy and enthusiasm. Shizune was restless following Tsunade with the most critical cases, filling up the paperwork, talking with the patients' relatives. It was apparent that Shizune wanted to do this every day of her life. Tsunade realized that and began to think of what would happen when their job was finished. She was supposed to leave Konoha once the wounded from the invasion were duly treated. The sannin felt trapped now. Despite loosening a bit, the pain of losing her loved ones was still there. It wouldn't ever fade, she realized and staying in Konoha was even more painful. The logical side reasoned that she has been gone for too long and that the pain is large now that she reopened the wound. It was like opening a band-aid.

On the other hand, now that she had returned to the village and began to heal the wounded, she wondered if perhaps leaving once more was the right course of action.

_"I'm just surprised to see a member of the Sannin behaving like a coward. You just heard from Ero-sennin that there are __lots of injured people from the invasion. Injured people whose lives hangs in the balance because the only one who could treat them and save their lives is busy running away from whatever fate happened in her life. I know people in Konoha who have suffered as well, but are still there fighting for what he or she believes. I for instance was born hated by the entire village and ostracized by everyone because of something I couldn't control. Sasuke here had his entire family murdered by his own brother. Our sensei Kakashi has lost everyone in his life and is now nominated Godaime Hokage. Please tell me lady, why do you think your pain is any worse or any different from the rest of the world?"_

The image of Naruto saying these words made her blood boil at the time. She would never admit to the gaki but the reason it hurt her deeply wasn't the sheer audacity of talking like that to her face. Every word the kid spoke had merit; just imagining his fierce resolve made Tsunade question her own in leaving once more. Indeed, the ninja business is filled with pain, especially for those who lived as long as she did. A great number of shinobi and kunoichi had lost their loved ones due to one circumstance or another. She couldn't for the life of her imagine what her sensei went through. He out lived pretty much everyone in Konoha so far and still kept his head looking forward.

"_I'm the Hokage, Tsunade. If I don't show strength to my shinobi, then I'm not fit to lead them." _

Tsunade sighed at the memory of her sensei right after the second great ninja war when lots of shinobi were killed. Indeed, her pain wasn't any different from others, just like the damn gaki announced. She was now walking through the now empty halls, searching for Shizune. She passed by one of the surgery rooms and looked through the mirror. Inside her student Shizune was busy saving someone else's life. Tsunade smiled at the scene. She could see that despite the fierce resolve in her student's mind, Tsunade knew that Shizune was enjoying every minute of it. She could see the resolve and in a way, Shizune reminded her of herself back when she was Shizune's age. Moving on, Tsunade kept walking towards the empty and silenced hallway, now believing that perhaps staying in Konoha wouldn't be so bad after all. Of course, she would have to constantly deal with pests such as the gaki, but it was okay she assumed.

"Tsunade-sama…." The strange voice made the sannin turn from her direction, before she saw what appeared to be a brunette kunoichi wearing Chinese style clothing.

"Yes…do I know you?" Tenten was immediately in front of the sannin with a notepad and a pen. Tsunade just looked at the girl, wondering what was wrong with her.

"Sorry for interrupting Tsunade-sama, but I was wondering if I could have your autograph. I'm a big fan. You are my biggest inspiration to become a stronger kunoichi." Tsunade still wished the girl would calm down somewhat, but she assumed that giving the autograph would shut the little girl up and make her leave. Not to mention that Tsunade enjoyed seeing another kunoichi's resolve in improving. Thus forcing a smile, Tsunade nodded at the girl and took the notepad with one hand and the pen with the other. Tenten was all too happy that the woman she most admired would give her autograph. Tsunade quickly gave her signature and then handed the notepad to Tenten.

"What's your name?"

"Higurashi Tenten, Tsunade-sama." Not a name Tsunade recognized, meaning that the girl didn't belong to a shinobi clan.

"Nice to meet you Tenten-san, now tell me how do you know I was here?" Tenten looked at the sannin wondering about the question, while Tsunade just inclined closer to Tenten, still waiting for the answer.

"Well, a genin friend of mine told me you'd be here. His name is Uchiha Sasuke." Tenten was immediately alerted when a vein pulsed from Tsunade's forehead. She immediately wondered if she had somehow said something that set her off edge. Tsunade, for her part, was seeing red at the mention of one of the brats that were with her perverted teammate. "I'm sorry Tsunade-sama, but did I say anything that has upset you? Whatever it is, it wasn't my intention." Tsunade's ire subsided as she watched the girl that believed that she was mad because of what Tenten said. Well, yes, she did mention the name, but it wasn't anything like that.

"No nothing really; it's just that I remembered I have to be someplace else." As expected, Tenten quickly nodded and left Tsunade alone. The sannin could see the content look on the girl's face as she walked away. In a sense, Tsunade was hit with a sense of nostalgia as she remembered the times after the day when she was nominated a sannin along with Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Back then, Tsunade was constantly pestered by the future generation of kunoichi. Back then, Shizune was perhaps this girl's age along with others that she remembered. They must be jounin by now, Tsunade mused. At the time, Tsunade remembered how she pestered her sensei into creating a special branch of medic-nins in order to reduce the death tow on Konoha's shinobi. She had a lot of candidates with excellent chakra control at the time that were perfect for her ambition. Sadly Sarutobi-sensei denied her request, stating that it was war time and they didn't have the resources. Now, though, that the war is over, perhaps it was due time that Tsunade reiterated her request to the old man. Provided that she had decided to stay, the least she could do besides running the hospital, is to train youngsters into becoming medic-nins.

Once leaving the hospital, confident of Shizune's more than capable hands, Tsunade went straight to the Hokage's Office.

* * *

**===At the Hokage's Office===**

Tsunade didn't even bother waiting for the receptionist. She just opened the door to see the newly instated Hokage, Hatake Kakashi, alone in his office.

Immediately, Tsunade's highly tuned senses could spot four powerful presences in the room, obscured by the shadows. Normally, sensei had two Anbu inside his office responsible for the man's safety. She doubted that Kakashi was paranoid enough to increase security, so it meant that the extra two were conversing with the Hokage when she arrived. True to her deduction, Kakashi was indeed discussing with the two extra operatives. They were actually Anbu captains, highly experienced ones at that. He was to choose which one would be named the next Commander of the Anbu branch, since the old one was as old as Sarutobi-sama and couldn't wait to retire from his position from the shadows.

"So nice of you to drop by, Tsunade-sama, how may I be of service?" Tsunade lifted her eyebrow at the name. Isn't this man the Hokage now? As if reading her thoughts, Kakashi explained. "The official nomination will happen soon, but I'm not the Hokage yet."

"Oh, I see. Well, you will be so let's get straight to the point." Kakashi nodded since this way the woman would be gone soon and he could have time for some reading afterward. "I have decided to stay in Konoha and run the hospital like it should."

"That's good to hear. Sandaime-sama will be pleased with the decision. I can tell, though, that you desire my attention for something else." The woman smirked. Kakashi may be relatively young for the position, but the man was considered the elite of Konoha's jounin program for a reason.

"A long time ago, near the end of the second great ninja war, I have requested for Sarutobi-sensei to create a branch of field medic-nins capable of healing the wounded right in the middle of the mission. They would be field capable as well, acting as support for the others as well. At the time, sensei thought that the request, although valid, would demand resources that the village didn't have at the time." Kakashi nodded, remembering his father mentioning about it in the past. He already knew what the woman wanted, but allowed Tsunade to continue. "Now, as I'm staying in the village, I figured it is a right time for us to create this new branch of field ready medic-nin". Kakashi nodded at the woman.

"Like I said before, Tsunade-sama, I'm not the Godaime Hokage officially. I know for a fact that many have perished in the field because of light injuries that weren't properly treated. Once the hat is officially mine, we will continue this discussion so that we can create this new school of medic-nins. I trust that you're offering to run this program." Tsunade nodded with a smile on her face as Kakashi continued. "I'll go even further and try to implement first aid knowledge in the academy for our future generations." Tsunade nodded more pleased with herself. At the time, she was furious that her request had been denied by sensei. However, now she admitted, even if reluctantly, that the timing just wasn't right. Medical ninjutsu is a complex art that demands almost perfect chakra control and years of experience. In the midst of war, she couldn't train anyone long enough to reach a mastery of her liking.

Tsunade was about to leave when she looked at Kakashi one more time.

"One and one more thing…I'd like to commend your teaching skills in training those two. They managed to hold their own against me for far longer than most high level chunnin and even low level jounin could." Kakashi smirked at the praise, but found that the credit wasn't his.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto were indeed part of my genin squad, but their skills aren't attributed to my teachings. Sasuke was already a prodigy when he graduated and Naruto had the stamina and chakra to overcome all of his weaknesses on his own. None of their skills were taught by me."

Tsunade noticed sadness in the man's words.

"Their teamwork is matched only by high level shinobi and I know that you preach about this more than anything else. If anything, their teamwork now is a testament to their sensei." Kakashi smirked at that and nodded at the woman in appreciation. "Am I excused, Hokage-sama?"

Kakashi nodded with a smile at the woman, before she left the room.

* * *

**===One week later====**

Naruto and Anko were seen leaving the forest of death where Naruto had trained like hell to improve his skills with the help of the Tokubetsu jounin.

His clothes were ragged but the smile on his face was evidence that his training bore fruit. Naruto had perfected earth manipulation, being able to produce an earth wall technique just like an earth user could. The** Tsuchi Bunshin** **(**mud clone technique) was easy to learn as well, after he understood the theory behind it, thanks to the amount of hours he had of training. He also learned other mud oriented techniques that acted as support like the one named **Doton Doryu Taiga** (Earth Release: Earth Flow River Technique) that created a river of mud below the opponent. The enemy would slip and fall, allowing Naruto to move for the kill with his sharp wind techniques. Those happened to be now much more powerful, because of his wind training. He managed to learn a technique from Anko, which was actually a creation of Shikamaru's sensei, Sarutobi Asuma. **Fuuton Fuujin no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Dust Cloud Technique) was a deadly front assault, meant to send a strong burst of cutting dust. After testing against some trees, Naruto couldn't help but imagine the amount of pain a human would be in once hit by the technique. Aside from that, he hadn't incorporated more techniques to his arsenal, preferring to train in pure wind manipulation. According to Anko, Naruto was ready for the second part and he agreed to find a waterfall one of these days and finish his wind manipulation.

Last but not least, was the Rasengan.

After two days using the clones, Naruto managed to perform the technique using a clone to aid him. He needed to do it by himself, though. By the end of the week, he couldn't manage to use it alone, but he was certain that it won't take long. He managed to hold it one time but the energy dispelled two seconds after gathering. His kenjutsu skills had also improved as he continuously fought against Anko. He even managed to draw blood from her a couple times. She even sent a couple of snakes after him that were brutally sliced because of the wind chakra that Naruto channeled to the sword now like it was second nature to him. All in all, Naruto couldn't help but be proud of the skills he had acquired and how much his weaknesses were decreasing. Right now, he could guess that the only downside was genjutsu. Anko tried to teach him to break them, but he only managed to disrupt the lower level ones. A C-ranked illusion would catch him off guard for the time being.

"Ok gaki, I'm going to get some rest now. Hope we can get some missions together soon." Naruto nodded with a smile on his face.

"Thanks for helping me this entire week, Anko-nee." One thing that changed between the two during the week was their bond with one another. After training, Anko found it amusing to tease the young chunnin and Naruto, for his part, told her stories of his pranks in the past. Naruto had actually called Anko like his sister in the fourth day and she found it was quite nice to have a little brother that annoyed her. She now understood why her friend Hana enjoyed messing with her little brother Kiba. Naruto had also enjoyed the notion of having an older sister. Someone he could come to for advice in life, both the shinobi life and the personal life as well. He smiled once more to his big sister and turned to leave to his apartment and change into some new clothes. He didn't get too far, though, when he saw Sasuke walk towards him together with a girl that Naruto only knew of as the female on the same genin team as Lee and Hyuuga Neji.

"You look like you got one hell of a beating, dobe. When are you going to learn that you're nothing but a loser?" Naruto only smirked at the jab as he knew that Sasuke enjoys messing with him.

"Stop dreaming, Teme. I just worked my ass off training, that's all. I had trained at the forest of death for a week." Sasuke nodded as he could tell from looking at Naruto. Sasuke had trained as well, perfecting his lightning release techniques. Tenten, though, looked at the blond chunnin.

"Are you crazy? You went in there by yourself?" Naruto lifted his eyebrow at the woman who couldn't help but blush since she practically shouted. "Sorry about that, but the place is dangerous, even more so on your own."

"Nah, there are some tranquil places in there. Besides, I wasn't alone, Anko-nee was with me." Naruto looked at the two in front of him and smirked deviously. Anko has gotten to him after all. "So teme, what are you two doing together? Are you on date or something?" Sasuke just snorted at the insinuation, but Naruto could see that Tenten had a slight blush on her face at the question. He smirked at this, promising to gather more material for blackmail in the future.

"Actually, I was looking for you to train in kenjutsu and Tenten here asked if she could tag along." Naruto nodded. He was about to go home, but he guessed he could beat the teme a bit.

"You have a place in mind or we can go back to the forest of death and train." Naruto laughed his ass off when Tenten turned pale. Sasuke found it amusing as well.

"We are going to our team's training ground." Sasuke said, earning a nod from Naruto who was still laughing a bit, infuriating a still red Tenten. The two chunnin and one genin took ten minutes walking towards the training ground. Once there, Tenten chose to sit in one of three logs while she saw Sasuke and Naruto staring at each other with their swords drawn. The kunoichi was surprised that Sasuke had activated the sharingan from the start. She was familiar with dojutsu prodigies. Neji would only use the byakugan when the opponent was serious and he never started the fight with the byakugan activated. She knew only rumors about Naruto's full capabilities, having only seen his performance in the chunnin exams. She didn't know how strong he was now. She watched Sasuke's sword sparkling with blue energy and gasped. Channeling elemental chakra to a sword was a very rare ability. She started to doubt that this was merely a spar between comrades. She gasped once more once Naruto's sword now had chakra surrounding it as well. She then remembered that the reason that Sasuke's sword was damaged was because of Naruto's. Her sensei always stopped Lee and Neji when the match became too fierce to be called a spar.

Right now, no one was around to stop these two from going at each other's throats.

She got the feeling, though, from looking at their faces, that they were enjoying this. Naruto was the one who started the attack with a different kata than Sasuke recognized. His sword was positioned inches from Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke was surprised by the move since Naruto managed to quickly enter his guard and kill him if the move was finished. His sharingan was the one that anticipated it though and placed his sword in a vertical position close to his arm, thus blocking the path of Naruto's sword. However, Sasuke knew that if Naruto wanted, he could kill Sasuke before he got to position his sword to defend.

"You've gotten a lot faster." Tenten found that to be an understatement. She couldn't even see them moving. "I'll have to increase my speed, then."

Sasuke said as he created some distance between the two, before attacking this time. Naruto defended it with a smile.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, teme."

* * *

**===At night===**

When the moon came up, those that didn't have plans went straight to their homes to rest for the day. The others were busy meeting their friends, going out on dates, filling the bars and restaurants.

The village had a few guards that were patrolling the outer walls, including Anbu personnel. Ever since the invasion, Sandaime had increased the number of patrols and even changed their routes so that enemies who had prior knowledge of the system couldn't use it to infiltrate anymore. Because of this, the elite of Orochimaru, named Sound Four, actually had to work twice as hard in order to get inside the village without getting noticed. Even so, they were spotted by a jounin who tried to escape in order to warn the others. The Sound Four had to deal with him fast, before continuing their assignment. Once inside, the group managed to reach their destination and found their target walking with his hands inside his pockets. They would have to follow him until he entered in a more secluded location. Uchiha Sasuke walked back to his apartment, completely unaware of the opposition he was about to face.

* * *

**Author Note**

Okay, I'll stop here and apologize everyone for the slight cliffhanger.

Orochimaru is now making his move. What will happen with Sasuke now that the Sound Four is coming for him?

Check it out next chapter.


	10. The unexpected

**Author Note**

Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Accursed Brothers.

I'll be brief about the Author Note, because quite frankly, I don't wish for you to waste time reading this and jump right to the chapter. I won't spoil the surprise, though. To sum up, last chapter, Naruto and Sasuke choose to implement their skills during their week off. Tsunade had decided to stay in the village and went to Kakashi to create a special branch of medic-nin fully equipped to handle field duty. At the end of the week off, Sasuke and Naruto decided to have one last kenjutsu spar, before Sasuke headed home for the day, satisfied about his skills' progression. However, Sasuke wasn't aware of Orochimaru's movement to capture him through his elite forces.

Wonder what will happen, huh? Me too; let's check it out!

* * *

**Chapter 10 – The unexpected**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

At night, the exuberant and full of life hidden village in the leaves became a quiet and tranquil place. Crickets could even be heard all throughout the village, indicating that save for the shinobi responsible for making routes around the village, the rest was surely sleeping in their comfortable beds. Just as it was heaven for the local population, it was hell for those who planned on invading the village for whatever reason. With the place being dead quiet, any noise could easily alert Konoha of intruders. With this thought in mind, the elite four moved as quietly and effective as they could while after the unsuspecting target, just like their leader Orochimaru taught them to do. If not for the sannin's knowledge of his home village's operations, it would be extremely tough to enter without alerting attention.

Eventually, Sasuke stopped walking and looked around for a while, before walking inside the Uchiha Clan Compound where his apartment was located.

It was only his instincts that allowed him to grab a kunai fast enough to block four shuriken that would have impaled his back. His eyes quickly caught the blur up in the trees, before the blur was gone. Sasuke followed suit, before he landed on a rather thick tree with enough space to walk on the limbs. The full moon was up, thus allowing him some light against his attackers. When no attack came, he wondered what the first attack was about if there wasn't a second one. He was about to activate the Sharingan when a person appeared in front of him. He had blue hair, wore a gray outfit and was carrying a giant scroll on his back. He saw the same insignia from the ones that invaded Konoha and immediately went on high alert.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" The man in front of him smirked at the question.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I am Sakon, one of the members of Orochimaru-sama's elite force and he has ordered us to take you with us. This village is no doubt holding you back; Orochimaru-sama is prepared to train you."

Sasuke looked at the man for a while, wondering about the words spoken. Trained by a sannin no doubt would make him strong, stronger enough to deal with Itachi for good. Sasuke had received training from Jiraiya briefly and couldn't deny the results. However, while the offer was to his advantage, Sasuke had the feeling that he would be better where he was now. The image of Naruto, his sensei and Jiraiya appeared smiling at Sasuke. Aside from that, if these goons are really Orochimaru's elite, then they wouldn't mind in having a showdown here. Sakon saw a smirk in Sasuke's face and believed for a second that he wouldn't be wasting much time convincing the brat to go along with the group. Even if they managed to infiltrate the village, it didn't mean that they could waste time here.

"I don't plan on leaving the village, so you can go back to Orochimaru and tell him to leave me the hell alone." Sakon stopped smiling and was about to open his mouth when another voice came alive.

"Forget it Sakon, we don't need to get this fucker's consent. He is alone against us." The owner of the voice appeared from the shadow next to Sasuke, also with the sound insignia. She wore a white outfit and had red hair.

"You think that just because you have the numbers advantage, you can defeat an Uchiha?" Sasuke said surprising Sakon, before he saw Sasuke form a taijutsu stance.

His Sharingan was also activated.

"I guess we can waste a few minutes of our time showing how much Konoha is holding you back." This time another voice as a man with six arms appeared next to Sakon.

Also another figure appeared next to the girl, this one a larger man.

Sakon was the first who charged, but Sasuke just evaded, before blocking a strike coming from the fat guy. The sudden pain in his arms was evidence enough that blocking was ill-advised. The guy with six arms was next, but with Sasuke's sharingan, the Oto elite might as well have eight arms and it wouldn't make a difference. The Uchiha had to thank those times trying to hit Naruto and failing miserably. Compared to him, these guys were child's play at best. The members of the Elite found it frustrating that they couldn't use their full strength in the village, from fear of alerting the Anbu troops. However, Sasuke didn't have that fear and even went through hand seals.

_Katon Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Mythical Phoenix Flower Technique)_

The Oto elite saw the dozen fireballs coming at them and managed to evade, before the woman started to play a flute. Sasuke was about to strike at her from close range, when his body felt numb all of a sudden. He saw the other enemies smirking at him, moving to capture him. Sasuke snarled at the sound based genjutsu, but he couldn't move his hand to break it. He was beginning to look around him hoping to find something to replace him with when the sound of the flute ended abruptly just as the man with six arms moved to strike Sasuke in the back of his head. Sasuke managed to escape and even land a fierce strike on Kidomaru before grabbing his sword. Everyone looked at what happened to Tayuya when they saw a blond ninja looking person holding her bridal style. The woman was far too busy with Sasuke to notice Naruto coming from behind and using the hilt of his sword to knock her out.

"What are you doing here, Naruto? I don't need your help." Naruto smirked as he saw the other three moving to attack him. Sasuke stopped them long enough for Naruto to give her to five clones and rush to the Hokage, their sensei. The real one stood next to Sasuke as they faced the three elite of Orochimaru. Sasuke stood side by side with him, while looking at the enemies. "You still hadn't answered my question, dobe." Naruto smirked at his partner, while remembering the side mission given by the Hokage.

* * *

_**Flashback on**_

_Right after arriving from the mission to retrieve Tsunade of the Sannin, Naruto was called in the Hokage's office. At first, he found it weird since they had already reported what happened in the mission and Naruto was dismissed for the entire week. Naruto was already considering his next training regimen when an Anbu arrived in his home with the news. When he got inside the Hokage's Office, he was surprised to find his sensei and the Godaime Hokage as well as the Sandaime Hokage._

"_Please come in Naruto, we wish to discuss an important thing with you." Naruto nodded, before Kakashi began to explain what he wished of Naruto._

_After hearing what his sensei wished of him, Naruto was surprised. _

"_You want me to spy on Sasuke, sensei. How come?" Kakashi took a few seconds to consider his words carefully as Naruto used the word 'spy' a bit out of proportion._

"_Spying is a bit of a strong word to describe it Naruto, but I will explain to you a couple things first. When Orochimaru attacked your team in the Forest of Death, he branded both you and Sasuke with what we call the Cursed Seal. It amplifies the shinobi's speed and power at the cost of sanity. I know that the fox managed to usurp you two from the sannin's control, but that doesn't mean that Orochimaru won't make a move on Sasuke. Ever since he was loyal to the village, Orochimaru desired the Sharingan. Now that the opportunity presented in Sasuke, we are afraid that Orochimaru might attempt to kidnap Sasuke for his eyes. What I'm asking of you is not to spy on him, but merely to keep tabs on him from time to time to ensure that Orochimaru doesn't try anything. In fact, this assignment was mine before I was nominated to the position of Godaime. Now, I'm counting on you, Naruto." _

_Naruto heard it all and understood where his sensei was coming from. _

"_I understand sensei; I'll do my best to keep pissing the teme off from time to time. Do you know how Orochimaru plans to do it so I can be ready?" _

_This time Sandaime came through and explained._

"_An excellent question Naruto-kun; rest assured that my old student Orochimaru wouldn't be here personally to collect Sasuke. The wounds of the invasion are too fresh, thus he won't risk coming unless he's sure we wouldn't expect him to. We believe he will be sending a couple of his elites to face Sasuke. However, any sort of confrontation would alert the Anbu, so they won't come here expecting to use force. If something does happen, do not forget to use every means possible to signal your position. With your amount of chakra, it won't take long for someone to feel it and move instantly." Naruto nodded with a smile on his face, before leaving the office. _

* * *

_**Flashback off**_

"I thought about coming over once more and repeat the ass whooping from this afternoon but I came to save you instead. I thought you'd be grateful, though." Sasuke snorted. "Now, shall we make some noise?"

Sasuke didn't know what Naruto meant by that, before Naruto molded a lot of chakra while moving through hand seals for a wide range jutsu.

_Fuuton Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique)_

The strong burst of wind was enough to force the enemy to scatter as the tree they were standing on were ripped to shreds, not to mention the loud noise that came with it. Sakon immediately cursed the brat for his intrusion. No doubt, that jutsu was felt from a mile away. Their time window had just shortened and they had to move quickly and capture Sasuke. Orochimaru would certainly be pissed when he heard that Tayuya was captured, but he hoped that bringing the sharingan to him on a silver platter was enough compensation. Looking briefly to his peers, Kidomaru and Jiroubou activated their first level cursed seal, before looking at their opposition with a smirk on their faces. It didn't last though when they saw both Naruto and Sasuke activating their cursed seal as well. The appearance though surprised the Oto Elite. Sakon would be quick to demand answers, but time was of the essence. Sakon was alone with Sasuke while Jiroubou and Kidomaru teamed up to face Naruto.

Once the blond brat was finished, they would move to capture Sasuke and be gone before the Anbu show up.

Kidoumaru was quick to make quick hand seals and spit spider webs from his mouth that trapped Naruto inside. Jiroubou was about to move and silence the brat when he saw Naruto using wind chakra to slice the spider webs. He didn't waste time and quickly used the mud slice technique. Jiroubou went along with the river while Naruto charged with extreme speed to finish the man. Naruto was surprised when a considerably sized spider came inches from piercing his lung but managed to use his sword to deal with the arachnid. It was just to get them time, since Jiroubou recovered from the mud slide technique. Quickly summoning three kage bunshin to even the odds a bit, Naruto charged at Kidomaru with the rasengan in hand. The six armed shinobi smirked at the attempt and focused chakra to his defense mechanism. When the spiraling ball of energy hit him however, Kidomaru found himself surprised to hear his defense crack under the pressure. He was sent flying at the nearby tree.

Naruto didn't have time go after him as Jiroubou waved through hand signs.

_Doton Doryuu Dango (Earth Release: Mausoleum Earth Dumpling Technique)_

Naruto saw the gigantic ball rolling towards him. Not thinking of anything to use to block it, Naruto didn't waste time and used a replacement technique with one of his clones. He still received the image of being smashed by the boulder, but Naruto was glad it didn't happen to him. Jiroubou snarled at this brat's annoyance. He didn't know what happened to Kidomaru, but he guessed it was due to the strange blue ball that the blond hit him with. Jiroubou wanted nothing more than to use cursed seal level two and deal with this mess for good, but that would go against Orochimaru's orders as well as attract even further attention. When Sakon appeared by his side, though, Jiroubou considered the worst.

"We have to leave. We can't risk getting captured as well. Anbu are coming." Jiroubou nodded and grabbed Kidomaru before they quickly vanished just as a squad of Anbu arrived to inspect what happened.

One with the lion masked approached Naruto who was taking care of Sasuke's wounds, asking for the report. Naruto recognized the man from his clones' memories.

"Orochimaru's elite came to kidnap Sasuke. I was nearby and helped him against them. I managed to capture one of them and sent my clones straight to the Hokage. The rest of them just left." The lion masked Anbu just nodded and gave the signal for his team to track the enemies down, while he helped Naruto take Sasuke to the Hospital. Yamato's team was nearby when they saw Naruto's clones carrying an unconscious Oto Shinobi. The captured shinobi was taken to Ibiki for questioning. Yamato quickly checked Sasuke's status and realized that the boy was having trouble breathing normally. He then placed Sasuke on the ground for a quick assessment.

"What is wrong, Anbu-san?" Naruto asked, looking at Sasuke.

"It appears that Sasuke was poisoned. I'll need to give him an antidote before taking him to the Emergency Room."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded. The Uchiha did find it strange how his movements were slower after the enemy managed to draw blood with a kunai. Of course, Naruto couldn't help but mess up with Sasuke a bit.

"Gee teme, you have to up your game. Getting beat up all the time isn't doing you any good."

Unfortunately for Sasuke, the antidote supplied by Yamato worked by using pretty much all of Sasuke's remaining chakra to expel the poison, so the Uchiha was too weak to come up with a suitable response to the jab. He limited himself with a simple 'screw you Naruto', before blacking out. Naruto smirked at the weak come back. He thought for sure that the Anbu had laughed as well, but the mask saved the man in the end. Naruto followed the Anbu towards the Hospital, where the Anbu went inside and called a medic-nin to help Sasuke before vanishing to report to the Hokage about what happened. Naruto chose to stay in the hospital until Sasuke was recovered.

* * *

**===At the Hokage's Office===**

Hatake Kakashi was alone in the Hokage's Office as he went through the necessary documents he needed to memorize.

One of the perks of not having a family to go home to allowed him to focus his entire time in either his assignments or his readings. Kakashi right now was focusing on the journal passed by the previous Hokage. The journal was first created by the Nidaime Hokage. Pretty much all the major events in Konoha's history were in the journal. Being the Yondaime's student and the Sandaime Hokage's most trusted Anbu Captain, Kakashi was aware of the journal's existence. He knew most of the contents that occurred when he joined the Anbu forces, but it was nice to read the events written by the Nidaime Hokage. Kakashi admitted not focusing much on him throughout his career, but now that he had access to the man's journals and even some S-ranked ninjutsu and genjutsu material, Kakashi couldn't help but admire Senju Tobirama.

Before the reign of the Sandaime began, Tobirama had a lot on his plate to deal with; both external and internal affairs. At the time, the Uchiha Clan was demanding more from him and according to the journal, even threatened to leave the village. Tobirama's prowess in the ninja arts wasn't his only skill. His political prowess was duly noticed as he created the Konoha Military Police Corps and placed the Uchiha Clan responsible for keeping the peace inside the village. He was also trading blows with the Nidaime Raikage at the time. In fact, the only reason the Nidaime Hokage was killed was because Ginkaku and Kinkaku of Kumogakure were unhappy with the Raikage's decision to form an alliance with Konoha and attacked them. Kakashi was surprised to see in the Sandaime's first insertion that it was due to Tobirama's sacrifice that day, that he, Danzou and a few others were alive.

Kakashi passed quickly through the Sandaime and Yondaime's notes, since he was involved in a lot of these events. Yamato quickly kneeled in front of his desk.

"Hokage-sama, Orochimaru had sent his elite to kidnap Uchiha Sasuke." Kakashi was immediately alerted, but Yamato continued. "Uzumaki Naruto happened to be on the scene quick and together they managed to hold off the enemies long enough for my team to arrive. Naruto even managed to capture one of them and we just sent her straight to Ibiki for questioning." Kakashi released a sigh in relief, being glad that Naruto had complied with his order and kept tabs on Sasuke. As he left the office towards the hospital, Kakashi made a mental note to take a look into the village's defenses. There was a side project sitting in his desk about the creation of a sensitive barrier that would be erected throughout the village's perimeter and worked nicely to pinpoint where the breach occurred. It was time the project was sanctioned.

* * *

**===At the Hospital===**

Once Kakashi arrived at the Hospital, he quickly greeted the staff that was in attendance. Even if his official nomination was only due in two days, everyone already knew that he was the Godaime Hokage. That and the fact that Sakumo's son wore the Kage's robes on top of his jounin outfit just like his sensei did when he was Yondaime Hokage. When he opened the door to Sasuke's room, Kakashi was surprised to see Naruto there looking at a scroll while waiting for a sleeping Sasuke. The young chunnin heard the door opening and looked up from his scroll to see his sensei in the Hokage's outfit.

"Hi there sensei." Kakashi nodded with a smile on his face as he approached Kakashi's bed.

"I heard that you two were busy this lovely evening. Who was it that came to get him?" Naruto closed the scroll and got up from his chair.

"There were four in total and I think their description matched the ones that lifted that purple barrier when Sandaime-jiji and Orochimaru fought. They had the cursed seal as well, sensei." Kakashi nodded as he looked at Sasuke. According to the report, Sasuke was poisoned. However, it appeared that the staff managed to extract it fully, since Sasuke's breathing appeared normal. He then turned to Naruto and saw that the boy was reading some material for earth ninjutsu. Kakashi smirked at his sensei's son. Naruto's improvement rate, since he began training for the chunnin exams, was staggering to say the least. Before then, he didn't even know his elemental affinity. Now, not only was he proficient in the wind element, but was also practicing a second element. There was no doubt in Kakashi's mind how proud Minato-sensei would have been at seeing his son progressing.

"I appreciate you staying here Naruto, but I'm afraid Sasuke will need higher level security, if they come back. You can go home now."

Naruto nodded with a smile on his face as he walked towards the door, before stopping as he remembered something he needed doing.

"Sensei, ah do you know where I can find a waterfall in Konoha? Ero-sennin said that the next step in wind manipulation was to slice a waterfall, even if I still can't believe it's possible." Kakashi smiled at the comment.

"Well, wind manipulation is tough like that. As a matter of fact, there is one I can think of but it's located inside the Forest of Death. I'd recommend against going there, but I think you're quite familiar with the region." Naruto scratched his head in embarrassment upon getting caught by his sensei, though he wondered if perhaps Anko decided to tell him about his weekly training regimen. The chunnin simply nodded and vanished from the room, earning a chuckle from Kakashi just as the Anbu team arrived to provide security for Sasuke.

As soon as the Anbu team took their position inside Sasuke's room, Yamato also entered and kneeled in front of Kakashi.

"Hokage-sama, we couldn't find the others. It appears that Orochimaru has briefed them on how to avoid our capture. We suspect that they went through the same route they used to invade." Kakashi nodded, already taking this conclusion as the only possible hypothesis. Even if Konoha had made a discovery by capturing one of them, Kakashi would have wished to rid Orochimaru of as much aid as possible. This way, Kakashi wouldn't need to worry about these men going against his student once more. Sasuke may be strong for his age, but Kakashi had doubts if he could take on Orochimaru's men. Kabuto for instance was close to Kakashi's level and Kakashi didn't even know about the rest.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

The next day, Naruto jumped through the fence separating the village from the Forest of Death and went straight into looking for the waterfall that Kakashi said existed.

Naruto wanted to find Anko and ask her for directions, but he couldn't find her anywhere in the village. After two and a half hours, he heard someone whispering about an A-ranked mission that Anko was sent to. That meant that he was all alone now, which was perfectly fine. From what he remembered from the forest of death, when he got close to the central tower, he recalled hearing a faint noise of water running close by. With that in mind, Naruto went straight to the tower, while dealing with some oversized bears along the way. As soon as he got there, he followed the noise, until he reached a gigantic waterfall that was practically hidden by dense foliage that managed to block the majority of the sunlight, with the exception of a few beams. The scenery was beautiful as the small sunlight was illuminating the water. It was quite a sight to behold as the water was sparkling.

Naruto almost felt ashamed for disturbing the natural flow. He was about to strip his clothes off and summon as many kage bunshin as possible when he heard a familiar voice yet again.

"Hey there brat, what are you up to, I wonder." Jiraiya appeared behind one of dense trees at the top of the waterfall, earning a groan from Naruto. He was hoping to train in secrecy. Jiraiya dropped down and landed in front of his favorite student with a smile on his face. The smile was even more pronounced as Naruto was openly frowning at him. "Imagine…I woke up this morning and decided to take a nice and quiet walk when I see my favorite student get inside the Forest of Death for kami knows what." Naruto kept frowning, though as he imagined only two scenarios for Jiraiya to appear in front of him. One, the pervert followed him here or two…the only one who had knowledge of Naruto's whereabouts told Jiraiya to be here.

"Did sensei ask you to be here, Ero-sennin?" Jiraiya was even making his exaggerated poses as he talked. When Naruto questioned him, though, he stopped.

"What…am I not allowed to be here with you? Now that you're a chunnin, you think you're a big hot shot." Naruto wasn't deterred by the questions and kept staring at Jiraiya waiting for the answer.

"Yeah, he did. Though it's only valid seeing as what you're attempting is something very hard and very dangerous. Mastering one's element is only achievable through hard work and years of experience. You do have the Kage Bunshin that can increase the pace of learning, but that doesn't mean you can use it all the time. Plus, with my experience, I can give you pointers here and then." Jiraiya was in town for the official nomination, so he figured he could see the blond student once more. When Kakashi said where he was, Jiraiya went immediately inside the Forest of Death to search for Naruto and help him with his training. He owed Naruto way too much for not being there for him growing up. The chunnin let out a sigh in dismay and nodded at the perverted sannin. He supposed it was no big deal in the end. After stripping to only his boxers, Naruto summoned his clones and immediately went to work on slicing the waterfall.

* * *

**===With Kakashi===**

Currently in his soon to be office, Kakashi and the Sandaime were debating an important matter. Hiruzen was surprised that Orochimaru would move so quickly and was happy to know that Naruto showed up to help. He shared Kakashi's fear about Orochimaru not relaxing until he had the sharingan. Now, they must form the heavy assault team and for that to work, Anko must receive demonic chakra so that her cursed seal can be used in Konoha's favor. Another matter was finding a fourth member that could act as support for the group, perhaps a genjutsu user. Kurenai was out of the question, since she was the sensei of Team 8 and even if she wasn't, her range of assignments doesn't cover heavy assault.

Kurenai just didn't have the chakra or the stamina to keep up.

There were other candidates, but neither satisfied the criteria. Kakashi had a few choices in Anbu, but Hiruzen advised against it. To do so would weaken the Anbu units.

"First we need to solve the issue with Anko's seal Kakashi. Once that's done, we can figure out who to place as fourth member. I trust you'll place the leadership of the team to Jiraiya?" Kakashi nodded.

"Yes sir. Jiraiya-sama will also train them to their full capabilities. He requested to take the team to a training trip before taking assignments, which I happen to agree with since both Sasuke and Naruto are being targeted now. With them on the move constantly, neither Akatsuki nor Orochimaru will make a move and Jiraiya-sama's presence is enough to keep them away." Hiruzen nodded at the plans. It seemed like the best idea. He also imagined that Jiraiya wouldn't like to be in Konoha for longer than a week. Hiruzen grew quite tired of his student's constant attempts in blaming the spy network he created.

"When is Anko supposed to arrive from her mission?"

"According to the message she had sent, Anko is scheduled to return this afternoon; apparently the mission was over-ranked and the mission parameters were met when she defended the client from a C-ranked missing-nin from Iwa. I shall call for Naruto and Jiraiya when she comes back." Hiruzen nodded, before taking his leave for the time being. He found himself smiling more often now that the amount of paperwork was now handled by someone else with let's say more patience than him.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

Inside the Forest of Death, a bunch of blond replicas were scattered around the base of the waterfall as they focused their best to slice the waterfall.

Naruto had been at it since this morning and so far the only accomplishment he was able was splash water at his face. He was molding wind chakra through his hands, but to no avail. Frankly it was very frustrating. The sun was close to setting and he couldn't even see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sighing in dismay, Naruto released the clones and returned to where Jiraiya was sitting, while scribbling something in his notebook. As soon as Jiraiya heard Naruto's foot steps outside the stream, he looked up to see the chunnin's resigned expression as expected. Apparently, Naruto was under the impression that his bunshin were enough to overcome years of training in a day. In a sense, it was an important lesson for the kid.

"Any luck?" Naruto groaned at the question, knowing that the perverted sannin was watching the entire time.

"Nothing…the only memory I have acquired is how to throw water at my face over and over." Jiraiya smirked at that and went back to his notes as Naruto was busy gathering his energy.

"Mastering an element takes years kid, you can't hope to master in a day." Naruto looked at the pervert whose attention was solely on his notes. He looked at the kid for a while, before placing his notes back inside one of his jacket's pockets. "You should instead try to perfect your already learned skills for the time being. How are you with the kekkai techniques and the earth techniques?" Naruto looked at the pervert once more, before placing his hands together in a praying manner and releasing chakra for his barrier. Jiraiya looked at it for a while, before throwing a shuriken at it. The projectile was instantly deflected, earning a smile from the sannin. The kid had been practicing.

"Okay, so you were practicing. Now what about your earth techniques?" Jiraiya asked for Naruto to get up and do hand seals. Jiraiya saw the smirk too late, though.

_Doton Doryuu Taiga (Earth Release: Mud River Technique)_

Before the sannin could protest, the land where he was seating was transformed into a mud river and sent the pervert straight to the river stream. Naruto chose that moment to laugh hard as he saw the look of anger coming from what a wet Jiraiya that emerged from the river. Naruto just smirked at the pervert before shrugging his shoulder at his temporary sensei. Eventually, though, Jiraiya's mouth began to quirk into a smile. It didn't take ten seconds for student and sensei to laugh together as Jiraiya couldn't help but remember the fun times he had with another blond shinobi twenty years ago. It didn't help any that he saw Minato's young face in Naruto's right now.

Before he could say anything, an Anbu sunshined close to their location and told them that the Hokage wanted to talk to them.

* * *

**===Inside Anbu Headquarters===**

Located deep within the Anbu Headquarters, was the Anbu Torture and Interrogation Department, led by Ibiki Morino, the man who proctored the first phase of the Chunnin Exams.

Ibiki was quite famous throughout the elemental nations for his techniques in mental torture and psychological warfare. Personally trained by Inoichi Yamanaka, Ibiki was considered a sadist, one that enjoyed breaking the defenses created by his victims. Today was considered a special occasion as the man had received a gift that came in last night. Apparently, Orochimaru's elite group came in hoping to capture Uchiha Sasuke. The group suffered the interference of chunnin Uzumaki Naruto who happened to be on the scene and was able to capture one of the enemies to be brought for questioning. Information on Orochimaru's whereabouts and plans was considered a personal assignment by Ibiki, since he didn't get much from the chunnin traitor Mizuki last year. As he walked throughout the empty hallway made of black granite floor and white walls, Ibiki made a mental note to thank the one who granted him this marvelous gift.

Once he reached the chambers of Torture and Interrogation, he opened the first door that led to a dark room with a large mirror. Once inside, he could see his gift lying unconscious inside the room next to his.

The kunoichi was strapped from head to toe and her chakra was sealed for obvious reasons. According to the report he was now studying in preparation to the interrogation, this girl was a genjutsu master, meaning that he couldn't take any chances by not sealing her chakra away; not to mention that she had the cursed seal as well. Ibiki wasn't above using physical torture to get the answers he needed. It just wasn't his style of interrogation. Usually, the physical torture was dealt with by his associate Anko. He believed that the mind was more important than the body, but Ibiki couldn't argue against how effective pain can be in breaking the enemy. Once he closed the folder, Ibiki left his room and went towards the one Tayuya was located.

The interrogation was about to begin. The lights were lit suddenly and Tayuya quickly screamed bloody murder for it. She tried to use her arms to shield her eyes, but found her arms strapped. The image of a person next to her, although blurry because of the strong light, was in the receiving end of her anger and dirty talk.

"Hey you fucking asshole turn off the fucking lights and untie the fuck out of me." Ibiki did smile at the girl for her language. It was amusing.

"You do have a rather dirty mouth, but no I'm not going to agree to your request, kunoichi-san. As of yesterday, you were captured while trying to infiltrate Konoha and capture one of our chunnin named Uchiha Sasuke." For some reason, Tayuya found herself compelled to listen to this man instead of cursing him once again. "Your sentence was emitted the moment you believed you could invade the hidden village in the leaves without dire consequences." Ibiki stopped talking, before walking to a switch close to the door and activating. Tayuya's table was suddenly inclined fast, earning a scream in protest from Tayuya as her limbs were strapped to the table.

"You fucking asshole…" The woman stopped cursing when she was invaded with a strong level killing intent coming from this guy.

"I allowed you a few curses at first, but now you won't talk unless I urge you to talk, am I clear?" Tayuya quickly found that she didn't have access to her chakra and thus couldn't offer any kind of resistance.

Her only defense now was her mind and will to fight against him.

"Now, shut up and listen. Even if your name is still unknown to us, your presence isn't foreign to Konoha. According to the reports, you assisted Orochimaru in keeping up a powerful barrier that allowed him to fight Sandaime-sama alone. If it wasn't for Jiraiya-sama, Orochimaru would have succeeded in killing the Sandaime Hokage. No doubt, this was added to your list of infractions, so your sentence will be far worse than just the crimes you committed yesterday." Now showing himself completely to Tayuya, Ibiki showed a vicious smile, confident that he had her entire attention. "Hokage-sama has authorized me to run whatever punishment I see fit for you and trust me, I have done vile things to criminals whose record is much less extensive than yours. For example, I have given adrenaline shots while at the same time keeping a kunai lodged at each limbs. It's interesting to hear the screams of terror coming from the enemy's mouth."

Tayuya found herself crumbling under the intense gaze and killing intent coming from this man. Orochimaru has taught her many things, but not how to overcome Konoha's interrogation department.

Ibiki even increased the pressure for a while, before releasing it entirely. His face returned to neutral as he observed his introduction experiment.

"As Orochimaru's goon, I trust you're aware of what will happen to you now that you're captured. As I stated before, Hokage-sama has given me authority to carry out your punishment." He saw Tayuya snarling at the man and trying to throw curses at him. His experience, though, allowed him to expect the girl's problems. Without chakra, a shinobi cannot withstand killing intent and thus she had only her mind and will to depend on. Of course, it mattered little in the end and with time Ibiki can break any shinobi, at least those who aren't already damaged by having more experience. For instance, people like Orochimaru would be able to gaze through the procedure, because the man's sanity was in question. Ibiki's method worked nicely for those who were sane. The crazy ones were reserved to Anko's method.

Now it was time to begin phase two of the procedure, information gathering.

"Your fate is in Konoha's hand now. However, there is still the possibility of your sentence being reduced." Ibiki couldn't help but laugh inside his head as Tayuya tried fighting.

"I won't tell you shit." The statement came out with half the strength she wanted and Ibiki only smirked.

"We have means to extract all the information we need from you. Now, of course, if you happen to give it willingly and it verifies, we can consider revising your sentence."

Tayuya was about to open her mouth but had little strength left in her system.

"I assure you that Orochimaru doesn't care about you, so any restraint on your part to divulge information is unjustified. I know for a fact that when you were captured, no one of your unit bothered to try and save you, meaning they don't care about you either. Now, I present you the opportunity to come forward with the information about them, but you're reluctant to reveal them, even though if given the situation, they would gladly sacrifice you to get what they want." Tayuya's eyes were already threatening to get watery as she knew this man was right in every word. Her memory of what happened yesterday came full force and she knew that no one cared about her. The images of their leader laughing at her pain when he injected the cursed seal in her system; the sadist look on Kabuto's face when he experimented on her abilities for genjutsu. They didn't care about her.

Ibiki turned towards the door and walked away. Before leaving the room, he turned his neck and looked at his detainee.

"I see your answer is final, so I won't bother getting the truth out of you. I'll take care of you momentarily."

Ibiki was about to walk, when he heard a faint noise.

"W…wait, I'll talk…" Ibiki stared at her long and hard, before closing the door and taking out a notepad.

"Start with your name…"

* * *

**===At the Hokage's Office===**

When Naruto and Jiraiya appeared inside the Hokage's Office, they saw Hiruzen, Kakashi and Anko there as well waiting for them.

"I apologize for interfering with your training, Naruto, but we called you here in regards to something Jiraiya shared with us that occurred during your trip to find Tsunade-sama." Kakashi started, earning questioning look from Naruto. "Jiraiya stated that you managed to fuse the fox's chakra with Sasuke's cursed seal, thus ridding him of the negative influence of the seal, more precisely, Orochimaru's influence." Anko appeared reluctant about the idea, having suffered too much in the past because of the seal. However, the most experienced in the rooms could tell that despite the cold reluctance, Anko was hiding feelings of hope that Naruto would be able to cure her of this disease. Naruto nodded at his sensei and Godaime Hokage. He looked at Anko and saw the same seal that Sasuke had.

"You want me to do it to Anko-nee as well? I'd have to check if the damn furball is okay with it first." Everyone nodded, while Naruto closed his eyes.

When Naruto did it for Sasuke, the fox was much faster and had approved it. However, this time, Naruto was taking more time talking to the beast. When Naruto flinched suddenly, everyone in the room tensed. It didn't help matters any that Naruto was inside the Hokage's Office Building and any problem would affect those inside. When Naruto opened his eyes once more, it was clear that the boy had a tough conversation with the fox.

"Damn furball…well at first he was against the entire idea, but he said he wasn't in the mood to help anyone and said to leave it alone. For some reason, though, when I informed him that it was Orochimaru's doing, the furball changed its mind. Apparently, Kyuubi doesn't like those who attempt to control him." Kakashi nodded and then turned to Anko who still looked troubled by going through with it. It was understandable, he assumed. Sasuke went along with it, because he didn't know about the fox, aside from what was written in books and scrolls. Anko was old enough to remember that fateful day and even remember how the fox's aura felt like. They all did, actually.

"Anko…" Kakashi said awakening the woman from her inner wonderings. "It's up to you to go through with it or not. No one is going to force you."

Kakashi knew that Hiruzen would have said the same thing. Hell, the man was against the entire idea when it was presented to him. Anko nodded and then turned to her little brother.

"What happened to Sasuke when he received the fox's chakra?" Naruto looked at her for a while.

"As soon as the energy gets in contact with the seal, the fox's chakra envelops your entire body. Sasuke began to scream in utter pain and agony, but I could see that he was fighting every step of the way. He fainted after five minutes withstanding the pain. When he woke up the next day, I could see that something was different with him, but I don't know what passed through his mind then or what he focused on to get through it." Anko nodded still looking undecided when she saw Jiraiya taking a step forward.

"Sasuke has one enemy we all know about as do you, Anko. His entire source of pain is directly linked to his brother's actions. Yours are focused solely on Orochimaru."

Anko nodded and stood silent for some time, before looking at the Hokage this time with resolve. Orochimaru had ruined her life and is still was, because of the seal. Every time, she looked at the seal in the mirror, Anko remembered the day when Orochimaru branded her with it. When Orochimaru appeared in the second test, the seal reacted and reduced her movements. She had to use her will to control the seal, while at the same time focusing on battling the vile man. For quite some time, Jiraiya and the Sandaime attempted to rid her of the seal but to no avail. Orochimaru's influence was directly linked to the seal, thus not allowing them to do anything. Now while the cure was risky – the fox's chakra, Anko now saw a possibility of ridding herself from Orochimaru's influence for good. She only nodded to everyone, earning a nod in recognition from Kakashi.

"We'll use the tower inside the Forest of Death for the procedure. We cannot do it close to the village and risk creating chaos among the villagers."

* * *

**Author Note**

Okay, I'll stop right here.

Tell me what you think.


	11. Accursed Team Formation

**Author Note**

Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Accursed Brothers.

I guess that by now, you have caught up to my strategy here, but I will tell it nonetheless. Naruto and Sasuke already possess the altered cursed seal and from last chapter, Anko will have it as well. The three will form a specialized battlefront team that will perform A-ranked missions and such, under Jiraiya's leadership. However, the team would not be complete without a long-range support. Who will be the fourth member, though? I believe some of you already figured it out, but here it goes.

I have some news to deliver at the end of it, just to let you all know.

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Accursed Team formation**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

The Forest of Death was home to many frightening creatures. Above all, it was the highest manifestation of wilderness in Fire Country.

The only place in the forest that showed the presence of humanity's interference happened to be in the middle of the area. The village only used the tower when the Chunnin Exams was upon them. Konoha rarely used it for fights, though. Not every Chunnin Exams had so many genin talents concluding the first two steps, thus forcing preliminary matches. On most occasions, the tower remained empty of humans, which happens to appease Mitarashi Anko's taste just fine as her second home as she took one of the empty rooms inside the tower for herself. That fact alone convinced Sasuke that the woman's head was missing something.

She considered the Forest of Death home.

Naruto, though, was used to this place, as he enjoyed his peace and quiet when training. He had trained here with Anko twice already. Aside from the three, others were there as well. The procedure was simple, but the risks were high. As such, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Kakashi and Tsunade were there to ensure that nothing went wrong with it. Tsunade and Jiraiya were the key players here, because the perverted sannin would be able to supervise the seal while Naruto used the fox's chakra and Tsunade could monitor Anko's health in the meantime. It did not mean it was easy to convince the woman to go along with it. The fox's chakra had a corrosive nature and the only reason Naruto could withstand it was because the very creature was inside of him, healing him daily. It was a miracle that Sasuke's chakra coils were not burned in the process. The fact that Naruto guaranteed it was harmless only increased Tsunade's worry for Anko's health.

Kakashi, being the Hokage, took a step closer to Anko while Tsunade was running diagnostics.

The slug sannin needed to ascertain that the woman was in top condition or else her immune system would not work like it should.

"I know I said it before, but you can still back off from this, Anko." She nodded at the Godaime Hokage, with a confident smile on her face.

"I've made my decision already. I want this damn hickey off my neck." Before she realized what she said, Naruto came forward with a predatory smile, ready to respond to the joke. "I know what you're going to say gaki. The hickey won't actually come out, but you'll rid Orochi-teme's presence from my system." Anko smirked at the blond chunnin, seeing him complaining that she ruined his joke. For some reason, she felt more at ease now. "Can we go through with this already? I want to finish this and drink all the sake my liver can take afterward." Seeing Anko in high spirits, everyone smiled as Naruto took one-step further. Jiraiya was behind him, while Tsunade was closer to Anko running her medical chakra technique, only waiting for Naruto to initiate the procedure. The chunnin closed his eyes for a while, focusing on the fox's chakra.

"I don't think you'll have the strength to leave this place, Anko-nee."

When he opened his eyes, the blood red chakra already enveloped his body, sending a terrifying aura around him and perhaps the entire perimeter as well.

The entire forest became alive with animals screaming as their sense of danger was much higher. Inside the tower, Sasuke was doing his best to keep himself from going crazy at such killing intent. When the same procedure was used on him, he was instructed to focus on Itachi, so his mind wasn't completely on Naruto's energy. Now that he could feel it, Sasuke doubted if being here was actually a good idea. He could hardly imagine how bad it would be to sense the fox's complete power. The others in the room weren't fairing much better, but for different reasons. The memory of the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha appeared in their minds. Images of people slicing their throats just to escape this very feeling; images of Kyuubi's tail causing major earthquakes and leveling buildings; these were just a piece of the horror that occurred that day.

Just as it happened with Sasuke, Naruto focused the fox's energy in his two fingers, before slowly placing them close to the cursed seal mark on Anko's neck.

One single touch was enough for Anko to let out a high-pitched scream in agony while Tsunade worked her magic assuring that Anko's chakra coils wouldn't be damaged by the dark energy. Anko filled her mind with thoughts from her old sensei. The vile acts he performed in front of her while still a loyal shinobi of Konoha; the time he placed the cursed seal on her and left her for dead inside an abandoned base. Above all, one image made her blood boil so much that every time it appeared, her veins threatened to budge from her skin. It was a simple image of Orochimaru looking at her suffering because of the cursed seal. He smiled when she screamed at the time in pure agony from the pain. Anko remembered how thrilled the man looked to see her look of desperation, of agony. She then believed that the man preferred torturing someone to death than simply performing the art of killing.

The procedure actually took longer, because Anko's hatred was active longer than Sasuke's.

When the procedure was finished, Jiraiya analyzed the seal while Tsunade checked Anko's vitals. They gave Kakashi a positive nod, before Kakashi ordered his Anbu to take Anko to her room. Naruto was panting on the ground from exertion as using the fox's chakra placed a great strain on his body. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder about it, though. He remembered the excruciating pain he felt when he received a small sample of the Kyuubi's chakra. He couldn't imagine it having it all of it 24/7 like Naruto did. He guessed that such power comes with a series of drawbacks. Kakashi approached the two of them.

"As soon as Anko wakes up, we'll gather and discuss about the future. In the meantime, you two are free to do as you wish while remaining inside this tower."

Naruto and Sasuke were now alone in the room, as the others already left towards their respective duties. With nothing better to do, Naruto walked outside the area of the tower. He usually came here with Anko to train, so he knew better than most the safest areas to train. For some reason, he couldn't feel any sort of danger out in the woods. Normally, the forest had an innate sense of danger. Once inside, you couldn't let your guard down until you left. Now, as Naruto opened the door of the tower, he felt as if he was inside a normal training ground, which was weird, considering the threats he had faced in here a couple times. Shrugging it off as nothing, Naruto quickly summoned three clones to do some training, while he took off his sword. The first clone practiced wind manipulation and wind techniques. The second one practiced his earth techniques while the third clone was busy performing kekkai techniques.

Naruto could obviously summon more to do the same, but his stamina had suffered quite the blow from using the Kyuubi's chakra.

Sasuke stood inside the tower as his training for the day required his mind more. His newly acquired skills provoked a wider range of possibilities for him to explore. His quest in his clan's library now grew to more than fire techniques and taijutsu styles. He now had eyes for genjutsu, lightning techniques and kenjutsu. He sealed an extensive material inside a scroll and chose a specific room for some peace and quiet, while he unsealed his material to read. Hiruzen was walking throughout the tower halls when he saw the scene of Uchiha Sasuke studying. He decided to spend some quality time on his own for a while. He figured that Kakashi was busy now as the Godaime and his clan grounds weren't exactly the most quiet place with Konohamaru there causing havoc.

"I always pictured you as a more hands on person, Sasuke-kun. This is an interesting sight, indeed." The Uchiha saw Sarutobi come in and nodded.

"I wouldn't say I enjoy reading as opposed to training, but my affinities are extremely dangerous if I don't fully understand the risks behind them."

Sarutobi nodded as his interest picked.

"I understand completely and applaud you in your decision. Indeed fire and lightning can cause a lot of damage to your organs if you misuse them. Although, I see that your research is much more extensive than simply elemental ninjutsu. Keep up the good work then. Perhaps you could bestow the necessity of research onto your partner as well. Naruto-kun could use some patience exercises, if you ask me." Sasuke nodded with a smile as he went back to his scrolls. Seeing Naruto holding a book was a scene he would like to see someday. He always found the academy books too boring for his tastes. Hiruzen Sarutobi walked a bit throughout the tower searching for the other chunnin. After a while, Hiruzen found himself outside as he saw four Narutos going through all sorts of ninja arts training. According to Anko, Naruto always summoned a pack of clones to aid him in training, but this time he summoned only three for the deed.

Sarutobi would have preferred that Naruto trained without the use of clones, from fear of becoming over-dependent on the technique.

However, he figured that using small groups of clones; Naruto could better analyze the information than having to sort out multiple memories at once.

"Hi there Jiji, what are you doing here?"

The one practicing the sword katas asked, so Sarutobi figured that he was the real one. Physical exercises couldn't be trained using clones after all.

"Just enjoying some peace and quiet, Naruto-kun; I'd imagine you would be tired after using the Kyuubi, but I guess your stamina reputation precedes you." A broad smile was Naruto's only answer. "Say Naruto-kun, I can see you have a knack for close-range fighting. If you wish to give this old man some of your time, I can help you practice. It's always better to train with a partner than alone." The prospect of training with the old man pretty much gave a rush of energy to Naruto. He stopped his practice and appeared in front of the Sandaime Hokage with his sword stance, earning a chuckle from the old Hokage. The boy was quite eager for a showdown. In less than a second, Hiruzen was using his battle gear and in his hand was a training staff similar to the one the Monkey King Enma became when transformed. It was black as well, but much thinner.

"Let's see how much you have improved, Naruto-kun; weapons only."

The boy was smiling from ear to ear, not even realizing the amount of pain he would soon feel. If Jiraiya, Orochimaru or Tsunade were present to oversee the battle, they would have warned Naruto against doing something as foolish as going against Hiruzen Sarutobi using only weapons. Naruto did learn to avoid the strikes of someone close to Anko's level, but he would learn soon why Hiruzen was a feared individual. The animals in the forest were once more cowering in fear at the amount of screams of pain.

* * *

**===With Tayuya===**

Sitting alone inside a dark chamber, Tayuya's was lost in thought as she recalled the recent events. First, she recalled the event that lead to her capture at the hands of that sneaky blond son of a bitch. When Ibiki began his interrogation, Tayuya remembered how little resistance she offered against the man's questions. As one of Orochimaru's elite shinobi, Tayuya was privy to a lot of information, especially regarding Konohagakure. She knew about Ibiki's fame as a top interrogator, but only now was she able to verify that the rumors were all true. The man knew his way around the entire procedure. He offered little pressure at first, so Tayuya would have a false sense of security. When he unleashed the killing intent and literally bombarded her with questions, Tayuya had fallen for Ibiki's mind tricks.

From that point onward, it was just a walk in the park for the top interrogator as he hit the jackpot with information about Orochimaru and his forces.

Tayuya wouldn't dare betray her master and members of her organization, if it weren't for one crucial fact, one that Ibiki happened to capitalize upon. None of them seemed to give a rat's ass about her well-being. Sure, it wasn't that much different before. In Otogakure, it was every man for himself. Contrary to Konoha, there wasn't any sense of camaraderie among them. Their existence served only to appease their master's orders. Tayuya was rational enough to understand that they had betrayed her first, thus allowing her to betray them in return. It was that simple in her mind.

When she pretty much gave Konoha everything, Tayuya realized afterward that she had just given out her only chance of survival.

She believed that the only reason she was still alive was because Konoha still wanted answers from Orochimaru. If that wasn't the truth, Tayuya would be nothing but a minor nuisance to the greatest hidden village. Because of this particular mindset, the redhead and bad-mouthed kunoichi was surprised when just thirty minutes later; a different person entered her prison, offering her something that shocked her further. Hatake Kakashi walked in and she was surprised to see him wearing the Hokage's outfit. His face was impassive as he looked at her without saying anything at first.

"The information you've given us was mostly beneficial. In exchange for that, I'd like to offer you a place in my ranks."

Tayuya looked at the copycat shinobi Sharingan no Kakashi.

She was speechless for a good minute, processing it. If the situation was reversed, hell she wouldn't think twice in delivering the death sentence as everyone within Orochimaru's grasp would have. Killing someone was simply the nicest punishment in Otogakure. Orochimaru reserved the worst punishments for those he had more interest in, experimenting on them day and night, until the one captured actually begged for a mercy killing. Now, not only was she being spared, but also received an offer to become a Konoha kunoichi. Sure, she didn't believe that Konoha was that lenient to leave her be, but she would take anything right now, as opposed to losing her life. She had given her answer accepting the offer, earning a nod from Kakashi.

He left the prison soon after, though, not saying anything about what her future job would entail. That was half an hour ago, when this time Ibiki appeared once more followed by two Anbu. The man's look was the same, even though, technically, they were on the same side.

"Hokage-sama has told me about your choice. I wouldn't expect less from such a clever girl like you. Had you chosen otherwise, we'd be having a different conversation." Despite the situation, Tayuya couldn't help but nod at what Ibiki was implying. If she didn't accept the Hokage's offer, then they were only two possibilities for her; life in prison or death. Despite Konoha being the most peaceful of the hidden villages, she couldn't expect any less from them. Above all else, they were a shinobi village as well. Simply letting her go after all this was very ill advised.

"Also, being a clever girl, you do realize that you won't be given free reign, even if you are now a Konoha kunoichi. These two men behind me will brand you with a peculiar seal that will help us keep track of you at all times. The effects of the seal will remain for a period of a year. Of course, should you display your loyalty to Konoha, the Hokage can override the seal and release it, but knowing him, I wouldn't hold my breath." Once more, Tayuya nodded, now feeling more at ease with her new living arrangements. She could at least respect the man she now worked for. Having nothing else to say, Ibiki handed a brand new hitai-ate for Tayuya and her belongings back, except for the Oto hitai-ate of course. The Anbu branded her quickly and left her alone with Ibiki in the room.

"Here are your clothes; an Anbu will be here tomorrow to take you to your new team and the one in charge. He is already familiarized with your situation". Tayuya nodded once more.

"Despite you fucking my brains out literally, I'm at least satisfied in knowing that it took the great Ibiki to force me into revealing the information." Ibiki smirked at the girl's creative cursing and nodded at her, before vanishing from the location. Now alone, while changing from her prison outfit into her old clothes, Tayuya actually found herself looking forward to her future as a Konoha kunoichi. Of course, she had very little awareness of who were her new teammates and the Jounin in charge as well as their personalities. She would soon regret having high expectations.

* * *

**===the next day===**

When Anko had awoken the next day, she immediately rubbed her head repeatedly in order to keep the major headache from hurting. The memory was similar to one of her massive hangovers, but she didn't remember drinking at all last night. The sunlight was performing its job in directing its beam directly at her face, which increased her annoyance and her headache. She felt like Tsunade-sama punched her repeatedly in the head. Her blurry sight registered a group of people inside her room, forcing her to open her eyes a bit, until she could see everyone. Instantly, her memory returned to what happened yesterday. Her hand went to her neck almost unconsciously, before realizing that the constant pain was now gone.

"How are you feeling, Anko?" Kakashi took a step forward, being the Hokage and all. The rest was content on simply standing there.

"Honestly; I feel like I had two bottles of sake yesterday and was on the constant end of Tsunade-sama's punches." The entire room looked at the woman in surprise, with the exception of Sasuke who went through the same procedure. While he didn't know the feeling of a hangover, he certainly knew the amount of damage Tsunade could do with a single punch. Anko's description was surprisingly accurate. Anko continued to talk. "Also, I feel strangely at ease with myself, as if Orochi-teme never existed in the first place." Jiraiya nodded at that, seeing the same feeling in Sasuke.

"The Kyuubi's chakra was able to cleanse your system from Orochimaru's influence. The same thing happened to Sasuke." Anko nodded, with a smile on her face.

She could feel her shoulder being much more relaxed right now.

"Do you have any questions, Anko?"

Jiraiya asked, earning a nod from the kunoichi. She found it odd as to why a certain blond chunnin was sleeping on the couch, completely covered with bruises.

"What happened to the gaki?"

Everyone in the room let out a sigh while Hiruzen smirked deviously. Kakashi was the one who explained, though amusement was clear in his tone of voice.

"He sparred with Sandaime-sama." Anko immediately paled at the prospect of facing the old man. Hiruzen, for his part, remembered how the fight went. Naruto had shown very fast movements, being able to evade his attacks and even get into attacking position, but Hiruzen soon broke Naruto's guard and began the torture section soon afterward. The kid was actually able to take a lot of beating, before he was unconscious. Bruises covered his entire body and even a couple of ribs were broken as a result. Naruto thought that Anko was tough in her training, but he never knew that the old man had it in him. Hiruzen was now smiling at everyone.

"I remembered Anko explaining how she trained Naruto and merely repeated the same procedure. Trust me that he'll be much better when he wakes up."

"Seriously sensei, after almost killing Jiraiya and Orochimaru, I'd think you had learned some restraint. I wouldn't dare fighting against you with a more lethal weapon." Tsunade was called right after their fight to fix Naruto's broken ribs. Jiraiya nodded, while glaring daggers at Hiruzen who was busy laughing his ass off at Tsunade's remark. If they believed his training was rough, then neither of them would survive a day under the Nidaime Hokage. Hiruzen had a feeling that Naruto would, but that just because of his tenant and the kid's desire to improve no matter the physical consequences to his body.

"You kids complain too much. When Tobirama-sensei trained us, going to the hospital was a daily occurrence."

Anko now found herself wishing to go back in time and meeting the man. She then turned to the Hokage.

"Now that this is over with, what is our next path?" Kakashi nodded.

"Yesterday, I was able to find the fourth member of the squad. She should arrive any moment now. After everything is settled, you four will travel with Jiraiya for your two-year training mission. Before you say anything, let me explain. Right now, aside from the team's regular assignments, both Naruto and Sasuke have powerful enemies, S-ranked. Orochimaru won't stop until he captures Sasuke; same as Akatsuki with Naruto. Right now, both of them are C-ranked, bordering on B-ranked chunnin. Our plan is for them to reach A-ranked at least by the end of the training. That means that I expect you, Anko, to become S-ranked as well. Right now, you are low A-rank, but Jiraiya will be training you as well." Kakashi could see that Anko was practically drooling at the plan.

"Okay, what can you tell us about the fourth member? Do I know him or her?" Kakashi looked at Anko for a moment, pondering on what to say.

"She has a very similar trait that I believe everyone will recognize; and no you don't know her. In this room, only Naruto and Sasuke have met her in the past." Sasuke was silent throughout the entire encounter, but paid attention when he heard his sensei speak about their fourth member. He was about to ask some questions, when he heard Naruto waking up while rubbing his head in a similar fashion to Anko.

"Wow, I never would have thought Jiji could be so vicious in a fight. My head is killing me right now." Naruto took quite a while to realize that he was not alone in wherever he was. He blinked a couple times as he saw six set of eyes looking at him, forcing him to scratch his head in slight embarrassment. Why they were staring at him like that, he didn't have a clue. "Whatever I did to any or all of you, I'm terribly sorry." That seemed like when he had to apologize to the Hokage for his pranks when he was still an academy student. Everyone chuckled for a while.

"You did nothing of the sort, Naruto-kun. It just that no one expected you to wake up this early. You took quite a beating from Hiruzen-sama."

Kakashi said with a smile on his face. He then turned to the room door and saw an Anbu there escorting the fourth member of the team. As expected, though, both Naruto and Sasuke moved in battle stances immediately upon seeing the woman that threatened to capture Sasuke and take him to Orochimaru. In all honesty, Kakashi was surprised that neither of them saw the Konoha headband across her forehead.

"Naruto, Sasuke, stand down. That is no way to greet your teammate is it?" Sasuke looked at Kakashi with suspicion, while Naruto looked outraged.

"Kakashi-sensei, she was one of those guys who tried to kidnap Sasuke, what is she doing here?" Kakashi nodded, moving into explanation mode. He just hoped his students would not make a big deal about this.

"Tayuya here provided us with valuable information about Orochimaru and his whereabouts. After verifying everything, we came up with the idea of offering her a spot in our ranks and she accepted it." Kakashi had a look of utter boredom while explaining as if he didn't care about it. "She will be your fourth member as she specializes in long range support and genjutsu techniques. I trust that you won't have a problem with her, despite the fact that she has a very creative mind when it comes to cursing people." To this, everyone looked at the Hokage in wonder. He had found their past conversation quite humorous, which in fact pissed the girl off even more.

"I am going to be on a team with these two fuckers here. I'm actually changing my mind; please tell Ibiki I wish him to kill me instead." Anko smirked at the girl's comment. She had a feeling she will enjoy being a part of this team even more now. She could see that Naruto and Sasuke were deeply offended and was even happier. Everyone in the room got mixed feelings with Tsunade wishing to beat some sense into this girl's bad mouth and Jiraiya already imagining how she will look like in two or three years from now. Hiruzen was just amused. Kakashi was amused as well, but he was the Hokage this time.

"Yes, Tayuya, Naruto, Sasuke and Anko will form a specialized battle team that will be trained by the Sannin Jiraiya for the duration of two years. Oh and I forgot to mention it, but before you begin, we must do something about the cursed seal of yours Tayuya. We have to rid Orochimaru's influence over it." Tayuya looked at the man for a while, as if Kakashi was crazy. Tayuya happened to be a very observant person and managed to see cursed seals in her future teammates just as her old team. However, their seals didn't match hers at all. She remembered Orochimaru saying that removing the seal would be impossible.

"What are you talking about? The seal cannot be removed." Kakashi nodded.

"Yes, the seal cannot be removed, but we have found a way to rid Orochimaru's influence over the seal, thus keeping the positive properties of it and ridding the negative ones. The procedure will begin right away." Kakashi looked at Naruto who nodded before the Kyuubi's energy enveloped his body, making Tayuya jump in surprise and wonder if they will kill her now. Kakashi explained it before she drew the wrong conclusions. "Do not fret, the procedure will be extremely painful, but everyone in your team went through the same thing. We will use the fox's energy and rid Orochimaru's presence from the seal. I know that you don't have a reason to trust us right now, but we are not like Orochimaru."

Tayuya still did not look convinced, though.

"For this procedure to work, though, you have to focus all your strength in your hatred. I trust that the cursed seal only worked on you because of it. So whatever it is, focus on it."

Naruto was slowly approaching, now with the energy focused on his fingers. All she had to do was focus on her hatred. That was easy enough. Her life in Earth Country before Orochimaru came along, offering her power to defeat the man who killed her parents. Just imagining the Iwa-nin trapping her father in the chair with his wrist bleeding to death while the man raped her mother in front of her father, made her blood boil ten times over. When Naruto's fingers touched her seal, Tayuya screamed to the heavens as she imagined the scene playing in front of her once more. She screamed for half an hour, before falling on the ground unconscious.

As Tayuya's seal became red, it marked the formation of the Accursed Team.

* * *

**Author Note**

It was indeed short, but it served its purpose. Oh and for Tayuya's story, I got the idea from one of my favorite writers called Tess Gerritsen.

Okay, I will drop the shitty news here (for some at least). I will be declaring this story as complete after this chapter.

Do not fear, though, I plan to make a sequel of it soon after finishing my other story Regret. If you wish to call it, the next will be the Accursed Team (I'm still thinking about it, though). I'd like to take the opportunity and thank everyone who, through your reviews and PMs, contributed and still contributes to my stories. I know it gets repetitive, but I'll say it once more. Fan fiction maybe a hobby of mine, but without your support, I wouldn't be where I am right now. For example, Brown Phantom published a poll in his profile stating that I was voted as the 17th best fanfiction author. Who would have thought that I would reach this far and it's thank to all of you.

Thank you so much.

Lastly and most important, I'd like to thank Kyuubi123 for the patience in correcting my mistakes. He has helped me a lot with my chapters.

See ya all next chapter (**of the other in progress stories**).


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